In the Army Now
Russia’s newest APC takes on a tank, an SUV… and red balloons – In the Army Now Ep.26
Since Vladimir Lenin declared 'long live the world socialist revolution' atop an armoured car 100 years ago, Russian APCs have been through a technical revolution. The once slow, clumsy monsters are now elegant, powerful combat machines and Anna and Pavel put one to the test.
They begin with a drag race along a beach between Russia’s most widely used APC, the BTR-82AM, and the latest version of the country’s biggest tank, the T-72B3. Even though the BTR-82AM can go 110kph and the tank only 60, Anna is shocked when she loses out in the APC but seems more upset by the effect of the soft sand on her high heels than her vehicle’s speed.
The BTR-82AM fares better when it takes on a Soviet SUV on a harder surface, as the Niva barely makes it out of second gear.
In the final test, Anna and Pavel have a blast bursting balloons with the APC’s machine gun, before blowing up the Niva with its 30mm cannon. As the sun goes down, they warm themselves by the fire blazing from the destroyed SUV.