Killer of Tanks: Russia’s BTR-82 Armored Vehicle to Carry a Deadly 57 mm Cannon

The latest, upgraded, version of Russia’s famous BTR-82 armored personnel carrier will boast a more powerful 57 mm automatic cannon to make easy work of all existing foreign analogues and also to seriously damage or even destroy enemy tanks, the newspaper Izvestia wrote.

“The BTR-82s will now carry the AU-22M Baikal remotely-controlled combat artillery module, which will considerable add to its firepower,” the newspaper quoted a Russian Defense Ministry official as saying.

The BTR-82 is an upgraded version of the BTR-80A wheeled armored vehicles which were armed with a 2A72 30 mm automatic cannon, modern sights, digital communications gear and better anti-mine defense.

More than a thousand BTR-82s are currently in service. Apart from armored infantry brigades and division they are also used by  combat reconnaissance units, Marine brigades and Special Operations forces.

According to military historian and veteran tank man Sergei Suvorov, armed with the 57 mm remotely controlled automatic cannon the BTR-82 will be able to take on armored jeeps kilometers away and even main battle tanks as its shells are not only able to wreak havoc on a tank’s exterior but can also cut through its side armor.

The 57 mm Baikal automatic cannons will also be installed on Kazakhstan’s new Barys APCs, developed on the basis of the South African Mbombe fighting vehicle.