Vietnam's extremely unusual BRDM-2 armored vehicle variant.
During the send-off ceremony for the forces participating in the security of the APEC 2017 conference, a very unusual version of the BRDM-2 reconnaissance armored vehicle made an appearance.
The BRDM-2 is an amphibious armored reconnaissance vehicle manufactured by the Soviet Union from 1962 to 1989, with 7,200 units produced to replace its predecessor, the BRDM-1, which had many limitations. The BRDM-2 is also known by the designation BTR-40PB.
The BRDM-2's crew consists of four people: the main driver, co-driver, vehicle commander, and gunner. Because it was designed purely for battlefield reconnaissance, the BRDM-2 is not capable of carrying troops.
The BRDM-2 weighs 7.7 tons, is 5.75 m long, 2.37 m wide, and 2.31 m high. Its armor is 14 mm thick at the nose, 10 mm around and in front of the turret, 7 mm on the sides, rear, and turret roof, and 5 mm on the upper hull. Therefore, the armored vehicle's ballistic protection is quite limited.
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| The BRDM-2 reconnaissance armored vehicle of the military. |
The BRDM-2's armament is similar to that of the BTR-60PB; it is fitted with a small turret containing a 14.5 mm KPVT heavy machine gun with 500 rounds of ammunition, accompanied by a coaxial 7.62 mm PKT machine gun with 2,000 rounds of ammunition.
At the heart of the vehicle is a 140-horsepower GAZ-41V-8 gasoline engine coupled with a 4x4 drivetrain with leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers, giving it a top speed of 100 km/h on good roads or 10 km/h when swimming, and a range of up to 750 km.
Until now, the BRDM-2 has only served in the Armored Corps; however, recently, during the send-off ceremony for forces participating in the security of the APEC 2017 conference, a variant of the BRDM-2 equipped for the police force appeared.
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| The BRDM-2 reconnaissance armored vehicle version is equipped for the police. |
Due to the specific needs of the police, this BRDM-2 has had its 14.5 mm gun turret removed from the original model. It uses four small windows around the perimeter instead of two large ones, and the vehicle has also been modified with a sunroof and side railings.
The BRDM-2's function can be predicted to remain in the same command and reconnaissance role as in the military.
According to Baodatviet
