Belarus has taken delivery of Russian-made BTR-82A armored personnel carriers to be deployed with a motorized brigade in the western Grodno Region.
According to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, a train carrying BTR-82A combat vehicles arrived from Arzamas last week. Brigade Commander Dmitry Mitskevich called it a “planned delivery” of military hardware as part of Belarus’ military modernization efforts.
The armored personnel carriers have reportedly been fitted with Belarusian components, including communications suites and sighting systems developed by JSC Agat-System and JSC Peleng.
Commander of the Western Operational Command Major General Igor Demidenko stated that personnel of the mechanized brigade have undergone training using the new military vehicles.
In addition to the BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, the Belarusian military has received BTR-80K command vehicles and BMM armored medical vehicles.
The BTR-82A Combat Vehicle
Manufactured by the Military Industrial Company of Russia, the BTR-82A is an advanced 8×8 wheeled vehicle that can carry a total of seven personnel. It was developed to replace the Soviet BTR-80.
With a weight of 16,000 kilograms (35,200 pounds), it is mounted with a Kalashnikov PKTM 7.62-millimeter coaxial machine gun and 2A72 30-millimeter automatic cannon that fires armor piercing-tracer (AP-T) and high-explosive-tracer (HE-T) rounds.
The BTR-82A also features a blast-absorbing suspension system for troop protection and an overpressure protection system against nuclear, biological, and chemical attacks.
The vehicle includes tech to provide operators with advanced communications and topographic maps. Its TKN-AI surveillance camera features a laser range finder to detect enemy targets within three kilometers (1.8 miles).
In addition to the Russian military, the BTR-82A is also in use with the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.