| BRDM-2 | |
|---|---|
 BRDM-2 Obr. 1962 in a museum in Voronezh, 11 September 2009. |
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| Type | Amphibious Armoured Scout Car |
| Place of origin |  Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1962 - present |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | See Service History |
| Production history | |
| Designer | V. K. Rubtsov |
| Manufacturer | Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (GAZ) in Nizhny Novgorod |
| Produced | 1962 - 1989 |
| Number built | 7,200 |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 7.7 tonnes |
| Length | 5.75 m |
| Width | 2.75 m |
| Height | 2.31 m |
| Crew | 4 (driver, co-driver, commander, gunner) |
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| Armor | Welded steel 10 mm front of the turret 7 mm sides of the turret 7 mm rear of the turret 7 mm top of the turret 14 mm hull nose plate 5 mm upper front of the hull 7 mm lower front of the hull 7 mm sides of the hull 7 mm rear of the hull 7 mm top of the hull 2 mm front floor of the hull 3 mm rear floor of the hull |
| Primary armament |
14.5 mm KPVT heavy machine gun (500 rounds) |
| Secondary armament |
7.62 mm PKT coaxial general purpose machine gun (2000 rounds) |
| Engine | GAZ-41 gasoline V-8 140 hp (104 kW) at 3400 rpm |
| Power/weight | 18.2 hp/tonne (13.5 kW/tonne) |
| Suspension | Wheeled 4x4 (+ 4 auxiliary wheels), leaf springs with hydraulic shock absorbers |
| Ground clearance | 430 mm |
| Fuel capacity | 290 l |
| Operational range |
750 km |
| Speed | 100 km/h (road) 10 km/h (water) |
The BRDM-2 (Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina, Боевая Разведывательная Дозорная Машина, literally "Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle") is an amphibious armoured patrol car used by Russia and the former Soviet Union. It was also known under designations BTR-40PB, BTR-40P-2 and GAZ 41-08. This vehicle, like many other Soviet designs, has been exported extensively and is in use in at least 38 countries. It was intended to replace the earlier BRDM-1 with a vehicle that had improved amphibious capabilities and better armament.
Contents |
History
After few years of exploitation of BRDM-1 by the Soviet Army its limitations and drawbacks became obvious. The vehicle had no turret and to operate the armament the gunner had to open a hatch and expose himself to enemy fire. The vehicle wasn't fitted with an NBC protection system, and had no night-vision equipment by default. The vehicle also didn't have any kind of special sights which undermined its usability as a reconnaissance vehicle. These drawbacks encouraged the design team to create a new vehicle which would suit modern battlefield.
Description
The BRDM-2 has a crew of four, a driver, a co-driver, a commander, and a gunner. It has two pairs of chain-driven belly wheels lowered by the driver which allow trench crossing just like its predecessor and a centralized tire pressure regulation system which can be used to adjust the tire pressure of all four tires or individual tires while the vehicle is in motion to suit to the ground conditions.
Externally, it differs from the BRDM-1 due to its larger, box-like hull. It retains the boat-like bow of the BRDM-1. However, the crew compartment is now farther forward and the new GAZ-41 gasoline V-8 engine is in the rear. Thanks to this the engine is much better protected from enemy fire. The engine compartment is also separated from the crew compartment with an armoured barrier. The driver's and commander's stations are in the front of the vehicle, driver is positioned on the left and commander is positioned on the right. Both of them sit in front of bulletproof windscreens which provide them with primary view of the battlefield. When in combat the windscreens can be additionally protected by twin armoured shutters. When the shutters are in their opened position they protect driver and commander from being blinded by the sunlight and ensure that the windscreens won't be blurred by rain or snow. The commander and driver have periscopes that allow both of them a more detailed view of the surrounding terrain. Commander has 6 TNP-A periscopes (5 in the front and 1 on the side of the vehicle), TPKU-2B day sight and TKN-1 night sight. Driver has 4 TNP-A periscopes (all in the front) one of which can be replaced by TWN-2B night vision device. The gunner is in the turret during combat but when traveling the gunner is seated inside the hull. The crew mounts and dismounts the vehicle via two hatches over driver's and commander's stations. On either side of the hull adjacent to the crew position, there is a firing port. Immediately behind the firing port there are three TNP-A periscopes which protrude from the outside of the hull, giving the crew some vision to the front and rear of the vehicle.
The engine is larger than the BRDM's (it is a 140-hp V-8 instead of a 90-hp 6-cylinder). The BRDM-2 has an IR spotlight and four IR driving lights, as well as an over pressure collective NBC filter system. The IR spotlight is located on top of the commander's periscope. The vehicle also has R-123 radio and an antenna on the right hand side of the hull next to the commander's hatch, for communication. There's also a winch mounted internally at the front hull with a 30 m cable and capacity of 4 tonnes. The winch is intended to used, among others, for self-recovery when stuck in difficult terrain. Also a spare tire can be mounted on top of the turret. This was most often practiced by Polish crews.
Just like its predecessor, BRDM-2 is amphibious. The GAZ-41 gasoline V-8 engine supplies power to the circular water-jet, equipped with a four bladed propeller at the rear of the vehicle, which is covered with an armoured shutter while on land. This shutter must be removed before entering water. The water-jet allows amphibious travel with a speed of 10 km/h for 17 to 19 hours. A trim board that is stowed under the nose of the hull when traveling and is erected at the front of the hull before entering the water to improve vehicle's stability and displacement in water and prevent the water from flooding the bow of the BRDM-2. While in its traveling position it serves as additional armour.
The armament is the same as the BTR-60PB armoured personnel carrier, a 14.5 mm KPVT heavy machine gun with a coaxial 7.62 mm PKT general purpose machine gun as a secondary weapon both in a small conical BPU-1 turret mounted on the hull in a central position above the belly wheels.
The 14.5 mm KPVT heavy machine gun has a practical rate of fire of 150 rounds per minute and cyclic rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute. It has an effective range during day time operations of 2,000 m. It can penetrate 20 mm of armour at range of 1000 m and 30 mm of armour at range of 500 m. It can fire at air targets and has a tactical anti-aircraft range of 1,400 m. It uses the 14.5 mm API-T, 14.5 mm I-T, 14.5 mm HE-T, 14.5 mm and MDZ type ammunition.
The 7.62 mm PKT coaxial general purpose machine gun has an effective range during day time operations of 1,000 m while the vehicle is stationary and from 400 m to 500 m while the vehicle is on the move. It is fired in 2 to 10 round bursts and has a practical rate of fire of 250 rounds per minute and cyclic rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute. The gunner is using the PP-61AM sight during day time operations which has a field of view of 23 degrees and 2,6 magnification.
The BPU-1 turret is unusual because it has no top hatch opening. Contrary to the popular belief the BPU-1 turret was originally designed for BRDM-2. The turret was later used in Soviet BTR-60PB, Polish SKOT-2A and Czechoslovak OT-64A. The turret allows the armament to be elevated between -5 and +30 degrees. On the left-hand side of the turret there is an air inlet on the hull top. There are also two air-inlet louvers in the forward of the engine compartment's roof and four smaller air-inlet louvers to the rear. Both sides have centrally placed vision blocks. The armor on the vehicle which is composed of welded steel, protects it fully against small arms fire and small shell fragments but doesn't protect it against big artillery fragments and a .50-calibre machine gun fire which can penetrate BRDM-2 maximum armor of 14 millimeters. The BRDM-2-series tires are not protected by armour. They are particularly vulnerable to puncture from fire of all kinds.
There are three different production lots that have different cooling vents on the engine deck. Late production version has mushroom-type vents. It also has slightly modified turret and can elevate its armament to +60 degrees. Final production BRDM-2's have additional turret periscopes and a TNA-2 navigation apparatus.
BRDM-2 has flaws that are also apparent in other Soviet vehicles. These include the low rate of ergonomy and protection of the crew and large fuel consumption. The low ergonomy level was addressed in Polish BRDM-2M-96 modernization and its successors, BRDM-2M-96i, BRDM-2M-96ik "Szakal", BRDM-2M-96ik "Szakal Plus", BRDM-2M-97 "Żbik-B", BRDM-2M-97C "Żbik-P" and BRDM-2M-98 "Żbik-A" which have belly wheels removed which gives more space for the crew or space for two soldiers. This was also carried out in Morozov's BRDM-2SMD.
BRDM-2 has unique flaw of its own. Because the only way in and out of the vehicle is via the front hatches, leaving the vehicle while in combat is almost impossible because the exiting crew members would instantly enter the line of fire of the enemy and its own vehicle as hatches are positioned directly in front of the turret. This shortcoming was addressed in Polish BRDM-2M-96 modernization and its successors, BRDM-2M-96i, BRDM-2M-96ik "Szakal", BRDM-2M-96ik "Szakal Plus", BRDM-2M-97 "Żbik-B", BRDM-2M-97C "Żbik-P" and BRDM-2M-98 "Żbik-A" which have side hatches. This was also done in Czech LOT-B and OKV-P as well as Ukrainian BRDM-2SMD. Polish BRDM-2M-97 "Żbik-B", BRDM-2M-97C "Żbik-P" and BRDM-2M-98 "Żbik-A" also have hatch on the top of the turret giving the crew another way out. BRDM-2's predecessor, BRDM-1 didn't have that issue as the BRDM-1 obr. 1957 had no roof and later models had rear hatch that allow the crew to exit the vehicle from behind. The fact that BRDM-2 is missing such a hatch is a consequence of putting the engine in the rear unlike in BRDM-1 where engine is in the front.
The BRDM-2 is sometimes confused with the Hungarian D-442 FUG and D-944 PSzH amphibious scout cars which also have rear-mounted engines but what distinguishes them from BRDM-2 is the fact that they have twin waterjets unlike the BRDM-2 which has a single triangular water jet.
Operators
Abkhazia - 
Afghanistan - mostly captured vehicles from the war with the Soviet Union, some were abandoned vehicles left behind by retreating Soviets and some were derelict vehicles left by the Soviets all over Afghanistan and brought back to working condition.
Algeria - 60 BRDM-2 and 64 9P122 "Malyutka".
Angola - 50
Armenia - 120
Belarus
Bulgaria - 12
Bosnia and Herzegovina 
Cambodia - 25
Cape Verde
Côte d'Ivoire - 13 delivered by Belarus between 2002 and 2003.
Cuba - 100 BRDM-1/2
Czech Republic - BRDM-2RKh and 9P31t
Egypt - 300 BRDM-2 and BRDM-2UM
Eritrea
Estonia - 7
Georgia - 17
Guinea - 4 delivered by Ukraine in 1998.
Hungary
India - To be retired. 
Indonesia
Iraq - New Iraqi Army uses a number of BRDM-2 armed with ZPU-2 twin 14.5 mm KPV antiaircraft heavy machine guns (See Iraq section for details). Ukraine delivered 13 BRDM-2 armoured scout cars to the New Iraqi Army in 2006. Iraqi Regular Army operated 1,300 BRDM-1 and BRDM-2 armoured scout cars and vehicles based on them.
Israel
Latvia - 2
Lebanon - ex-PLO vehicles operated by the Al-Murabitun (1983-86).
Libya 
Lithuania - 10 in service as of 2006. 21 delivered by Poland between 1993 and 1995 (10 in 1993 and 11 in 1995).
Macedonia - 10
Moldova
Maldives
Mongolia - BRDM-2 and BRDM-2Rkh 
Palestine - 45 BRDM-2 delivered by Russia to the Palestinian Authority Police in 1995 , later seized by Hamas following the Battle of Gaza in June 2007.
Peru - Late production BDRM-2 model and 9P133 ATGM launcher.
Poland - 200 BRDM-2s, 120 BRDM-2s modernized to BRDM-2M-96, BRDM-2M-96i, BRDM-2M-97 "Żbik-B" and BRDM-2M-98 "Żbik-A" level, 22 BRDM-2s modernized to BRDM-2M-96ik "Szakal" level, 100 9P133 "Malyutka" and 18 9P148 "Konkurs" tank destroyers, a dozen of BRDM-2RS NBC reconnaissance vehicles, an unknown number of 9K31 Strela-1 self-propelled surface-to-air missile launchers as well as BRDM-2 R-1A and BRDM-2 R-5 command vehicles.
Polisario - Late production BDRM-2 model and 9P31 SAM launcher.
Romania - 120
Russia - 2,000 
Serbia - 28
Slovakia
Slovenia - 5 late production BDRM-2s. Command company of 44th Armored-mechanized Battalion "Wolfs" operates BRDM-2 vehicles.
Sudan - 60 delivered by Belarus between 2003 and 2004 (39 in 2003 and 21 in 2004).
Syria - 950
Somalia
Somaliland
Turkmenistan - 30 
Ukraine - Delivered 13 BRDM-2 armoured scout cars to the New Iraqi Army in 2006.
Vietnam - 200
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Former Operators
Albania - 30 BRDM-1 and BRDM-2, all withdrawn
Czechoslovakia - Passed on to the successor states.
Croatia - 9
East Germany - Passed on to the unified German state.- Soviet Union - Passed on to the successor states.
United States - Captured a number of BRDM-2 armoured cars from Iraq during First Persian Gulf War and 2003 invasion of Iraq. The captured vehicles were tested on proving grounds and one was given to U.S. National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning and another one to the United States Army Ordnance Museum (Aberdeen Proving Grounds). Also some HMMWVes were modified by adding additional steel plates to resemble BRDM-2 armoured cars for OPFOR excises.
Germany - taken from GDR's army, all scrapped or sold to other countries.- Palestine - Operated by the PLO in Lebanon and passed on to the Al-Murabitun in 1983.
Yugoslavia - Passed on to successor states.
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