As per reports, during the joint Druzhba 2021 drills, special interest in the Russian BTR-82A armoured personnel carrier was shown by the Pakistani special forces.
In a statement, the Southern Military District said that the Pakistani officials liked the accuracy and easy control of the modern armoured personnel carrier as the Pakistani special forces unit opened fire from it.
Druzhba VI
Including aspects of counter-terrorism and special operations, the Druzhba military exercise is jointly conducted by Russia and Pakistan and has been held since 2016. It was reported that the special forces of Pakistan and the Russian Federation had joined hands for a two-week military exercise which is known to be the Druzhba VI. The drills were conducted from 28th September to 9th October this year on the Molkino range in Russia’s Krasnodar Territory.Â
Reportedly, including counterterrorism operations along with the elimination of illegally armed units, the troops that participated in the drills practised a wide range of tasks. Around 100 Russian and 100 Pakistani service members took part in the exercises, as per a report.
BTR-82A Armoured personnel carrierÂ
Manufactured and developed by the Military Industrial Company of Russia, the BTR-82A is an advanced 8×8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC) that is formally adopted by the Ministry of Defense of Russia.
Back in December 2009, APC’s prototypes were unveiled while during the 15th Interpolitex State Security Material Show, the features of the vehicle were demonstrated at the All-Russia Exhibition Centre in Moscow in 2011 along with being displayed at the Russian Expo Arms 2011 show in Nizhny Tagil.
The armoured personnel carrier is equipped with a high-power propulsion plant for enhanced performance and armament stabilizer and combined (day-night) sight has also been installed in the vehicle.Â
The AU-220M Baikal remote turret was integrated into the BTR-82A fitted with an autocannon firing the 57x348SR mm shells at 120 rpm by Russia. The Interior of the BTR-82A is lined with spall liners which slightly improves the vehicle over its predecessors that offered all-around protection against 7.62 mm rounds.
Although for improved protection against landmines and improvised explosive devices, the APC has been equipped with a double hull floor, it still does not offer the same blast protection as modern Western armoured personnel carriers due to its design. The vehicle is armed with a 30 mm cannon and coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and also has a GLONASS navigation system along with a more powerful engine of 300 hp.
Earlier deals
As per official reports, in December 2012, around 30 new BTR-82A combat vehicles were accepted by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan and with the military unit 25744, the vehicles were deployed.
In September 2013, the Production of the BTR-82A APCs for the Russian Army commenced while in the same year, its first batch was delivered to Azerbaijan. On the other hand, a contract was signed by Russia with the Military-Industrial Company for 20 BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers in 2016.