Officers of the defense representation panel 3378 have accepted a batch of sixty BTR-82 armored personnel carriers (APC) supplied by the Arzamas Machine Building Plant. Under the 2018 Russian state defense order the troops continue being equipped with the newest military hardware. The wheeled vehicles will replace the previous generation BTR-80s and armoured fighting vehicles. The BTR-82A is a modernised and modified version of the BTR-80 equipped with a modernised fire suppression system. The BTR-82A has an essentially higher firing power, agility, protection, and command controllability compared to the serially built family of BTR-80 machines.
The BTR-82A APC can perform combat operations 24 hours a day. The main armament of the APC is 30mm dual-feed automatic cannon. The gun can fire armour piercing-tracer (AP-T) projectiles, high-explosive fragmentation-incendiary (HEF-I) and high-explosive-tracer (HE-T) ammunition. The secondary armament of the vehicle includes a 7.62mm PKTM coaxial machine gun. The turret incorporates two-axis stabilisation, new sighting channels, and three forward-facing 81mm smoke grenade launchers on each side. The firing elevation ranges from -7° to +70°.
The use on the BTR (Bronetransportyor) vehicle of modern digital communications systems and the possibility of installing a topographic orientation instrument combined with the commander’s surveillance unit have improved the controllability of the vehicle. It order to create comfortable conditions in the vehicle for its crew and assault troops and reduce their fatigue on the march and in battle, the BTR-82A is fitted with an air conditioning system. It also creates optimum operating conditions for electronic equipment. Overall, the combat efficiency factor of BTR-82A has doubled as compared to the serially built BTR-80A machine.
The BTR-82A is an advanced 8×8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC) being manufactured by Military Industrial Company of Russia for use by the armies of Russia and Kazakhstan. The first prototypes of the vehicle were unveiled in December 2009. The APC’s features were demonstrated during the 15th Interpolitex State Security Materiel Show at the All-Russia Exhibition Centre in Moscow in October 2011. It was also displayed at the Russian Expo Arms 2011 show in Nizhny Tagil.
