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Russian airborne brigade commissioning overhauled armored cars

Also, special assignment units of the Airborne Troops are getting new light armored cross-country vehicles for cruising unknown terrain

© Vitaly Nevar / TASS

MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Newest Russian armored personnel carriers BTR-82A are getting into regular service on the bases of the 45th Specialized Airborne Brigade, Major General Oleg Palguyev, the chief of the Russian Airborne Troops Intelligence Department told the Russian News Service radio on Saturday.

"At this moment, the brigade is entering newest samples of automobile and armored technologies in its tables of equipment," he said. "Take for instance the BTR-82A, a most powerful fire weapon that ensures duly performance of tasks by the special assignment units."

Also, special assignment units of the Airborne Troops are getting new light armored cross-country vehicles for cruising unknown terrain. "These vehicles can be airlifted for supporting the operations of specialized forces and for airdropping."

The BTR-82A is a substantially modernized Russian armored personnel carrier. Compared with the original model, it has a much higher degree of protection and a new radio station with TRONA-1 topographic navigation system and satellite channels for obtaining navigational data is installed on it.

The APC’s firepower has been boosted substantially, too.

The vehicle has a 30 mm gun and a 7.62 mm caliber machinegun.

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