Identifying the special BTR-80 version that Vietnam just ordered

Vietnam has placed an order to purchase all-terrain vehicles based on the BTR-80 armored personnel carriers, Sputnik reported.

This was stated by the General Director of the enterprise-production "Military-Industrial Corporation", Mr. Alexander Krasovitsky, told reporters on Thursday.

"On the basis of the BTR-80, we have developed the ATV 59037 multi-purpose amphibious all-terrain vehicle for rescue services. It can carry 25 people or up to 5 tons of cargo. We believe that this vehicle has great export prospects - we have already received orders from Laos and Vietnam," said Mr. Krasovitsky.

ATV 59037 Multi-Purpose Amphibious All-Terrain Vehicle

In fact, Vietnam has long had a special version of this BTR-80 armored vehicle in service for search and rescue missions, with the official designation GAZ-59037A.

The GAZ-59037A version equipped for the Army plays the role of a command and communication station in flood prevention, search and rescue, and has been upgraded by Viettel Group in terms of its communication system, such as adding satellite transmitting and receiving equipment, live image transmission, and many other modern, synchronous technical items.

After modernization, GAZ-59037A perfectly meets the requirements of communication even in stormy conditions, it has demonstrated its outstanding capabilities when performing field tasks in adverse weather.

Meanwhile, the GAZ-59703A version for the police has simpler accompanying equipment.

GAZ-59037A armored vehicle was used as a mobile command post to command the rescue and response work against storm No. 11 (2013) on Truong Sa Street, Da Nang City.

GAZ-59037A armored vehicle in police service participates in an exercise

Basic specifications of the GAZ-59037A amphibious armored vehicle include: length 7.65 m; width 2.9 m; height 2.55 m.

The heart of the car is a 260 horsepower V8 KAMAZ 7403 turbocharged diesel engine, allowing it to reach a maximum speed of 110 km/h on asphalt roads, climb a 60% slope and overcome vertical obstacles of 0.5 m high. Two water jet engines at the tail allow it to swim across rivers and lakes at a maximum speed of 9 km/h.

It is not yet clear whether the newly ordered GAZ-59037 armored vehicles will have the same configuration as previous ones or will have a "rugged" appearance like the vehicles in service with the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

According to Dat Viet Newspaper