Russia Officially Renames BMPT Terminator to Spiridon

Russia has officially renamed the tank support combat vehicle (BMPT), previously known as the Terminator.

Now the tracked armored vehicle has received a new official name — Spiridon, according to Uralvagonzavod, part of the Rostec state corporation.

According to the manufacturer, the decision to abandon the English-language name in favor of a rare Russian name of Greek origin was made at the request of plant workers and vehicle crews.

The BMPT Spiridon is a heavy tracked combat vehicle built on the chassis of the Soviet T-72 or T-90 main battle tanks.

The system’s main task is to provide fire support to tanks during offensive operations, particularly in urban combat, where conventional tanks are more vulnerable. For this purpose, the vehicle is equipped with a multi-caliber weapons system mounted in an unmanned turret.

The former Terminator’s main armament consists of two automatic 30-mm 2A42 cannons. The cannons are mounted in a twin configuration and can fire high-explosive and armor-piercing rounds at ground and low-altitude air targets.

To engage heavily armored vehicles and fortified positions, Spiridon is equipped with anti-tank guided missiles. The launchers carry four Ataka-T missiles with cumulative or thermobaric warheads.

Additionally, the vehicle is equipped with a 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun coaxial with the cannons for close combat. Two 30 mm AGS-17 or AG-30 automatic grenade launchers are integrated into forward hull-mounted positions and operated by dedicated crew members.

The vehicle’s protection is based on tank-level armor, as the hull is derived from the T-90. It is additionally equipped with Relikt explosive reactive armor and slat screens to reduce the effectiveness of shaped-charge weapons.

The crew consists of five personnel: a commander, a gunner, a driver-mechanic, and two grenade launcher operators.

The BMPT is powered by a 1,000 horsepower diesel engine, allowing it to reach speeds of up to 60 km/h on highways.

The Ukrainian military has previously destroyed and damaged this armored vehicle, including in October 2024 in the Kurakhove direction.