MOSCOW, May 18 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. Sergey Kogogin, CEO of KamAZ PJSC, said at a meeting with Vladimir Putin that his company plans to develop and build a fundamentally new armored personnel carrier for the army. Tests of a wheeled armored vehicle will begin this year, and the production of a pilot batch is scheduled for 2027. What is known about the new technology and what the APC should be like, taking into account its experience, is in the RIA Novosti material.
Tested by war
Currently, only the existence of the project, the estimated test dates and the series have been officially disclosed. There is also a statement about the "replacement of obsolete armored personnel carriers." The tactical and technical characteristics of the promising machine, as well as its possible appearance, are not yet known. Nevertheless, the task is obvious — to occupy the niche of the BTR-82A armored personnel carrier in the ground forces, the basic version of which, the BTR—80, has served the country faithfully for several decades, but has become morally and physically obsolete.
BTR-82A, which participated in the liberation of the village of Urozhennoye
Image source: © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
On the one hand, the car has good firepower. The 30-millimeter 2A72 rapid-fire cannon with 300 rounds of ammunition is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 3.6 kilometers and is effective against infantry and light vehicles. The two-plane stabilizer allows you to shoot on the move, which has repeatedly helped the BTR-82A to emerge victorious in duels with the Ukrainian BTR-4. However, at long distances, the accuracy of shooting is greatly reduced. The trunk support often has to be refined artistically.
The advantages include high mobility, good maneuverability and maneuverability. But in almost everything else, the BTR-82A no longer looks like it fully meets the requirements of modern combat. Firstly, it's not armored enough. It holds only light rifle fire and fragments, while it is vulnerable to RPGs, ATGM, 12.7 mm caliber bullets, enemy infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, and especially kamikaze drones with a cumulative warhead. This is partially corrected locally by welding additional protection. But we need a factory solution.
BTR-82a with the reconnaissance group of the 15th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle brigade of Alexandria "Black Hussars"
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Evgeny Biyatov
Secondly, the BTR-82A does not have the most successful layout. The engine and transmission compartment with a diesel engine is located in the stern, and the amphibious combat compartment is located in the middle of the vehicle. The infantry is forced to disembark through the side hatches, which makes it vulnerable. This is one of the reasons why troops often prefer to ride on armor. In most modern armored personnel carriers, the engine is located in the front, which allows soldiers to leave the vehicle through the aft ramp.
Thirdly, there is insufficient mine protection. The bottom can only withstand a fragmentation grenade. Finally, fourthly, the surveillance and fire control systems, although they have been significantly improved compared to the basic BTR-80, still fall short of their Western counterparts.
A promising look
Based on this, one can imagine the appearance of a promising armored personnel carrier that the Russian army needs. First of all, it is necessary to increase the armor protection. At least in the frontal projection, it should hold 12.7 mm caliber bullets and 23 mm shells. The hull requires a V-shaped bottom for mine resistance. It is necessary to maintain mobility and combat capability when detonating at least six kilograms of TNT under the wheel. For stability from ATGM and RPG, the sides should be covered with dynamic protection. Against FPV drones and UAVs with vents, there are standard "barbecues" with grilles, as well as electronic warfare modules and means to mask the thermal footprint.
For greater survival of the crew, remote control of the combat module should be provided. The Ballista missile defense system, which was first presented at the Army-2023 military-technical forum, is ideally suited here. The developers position it as a technical solution to increase the firepower of the BTR-82A. However, it is not difficult to equip promising vehicles with the Ballistic missile.
The main caliber of the DUBM is a 30-millimeter 2A42 cannon with dual-tape power supply, which allows the gunner to quickly switch between armor-piercing and high-explosive shells. There is also a 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun paired with a cannon with an ammunition load of two thousand rounds. And two Konkurs—M missiles are used against armored vehicles. The module has a modern fire control system, thermal imaging and night sights. The Ballista transforms the APC into a universal weapon. The main thing is to keep the combat weight of the vehicle within 20 tons so that it can be transported by military transport aircraft.
BTR-82A armored personnel carrier with a remote-controlled combat module "Ballista"
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Kirill Zykov
The wheel formula of the promising APC is 6x6 or 8x8. The desired maximum speed on the highway is 85 kilometers per hour, with a capacity of ten to eleven people. The engine is in front, the rear ramp is required. The chairs are mine—resistant, protecting the crew and troops from injury and concussion during detonation.
Whether a promising APC should be amphibious is an open question. On the one hand, this option gives tactical flexibility. On the other hand, it was practically not needed during the SVR. The speed of the armored personnel carrier on the water is low, which makes it an easy target for drones when crossing.
Other projects
In addition to the promising project from KAMAZ PJSC, there are other developments of the "armored personnel carrier of the future" in Russia. The Gorky Automobile Plant's BTR-22 (GAZ) has been repeatedly exhibited at international arms exhibitions. It was created on the basis of the serial BTR-82A and is its deep modernization. An enlarged hull for greater capacity, reinforced armor, a layout with a front-mounted engine and a rear ramp for paratroopers, a Berezhok assault rifle with a 30 mm 2A42 cannon, a paired PKT machine gun and an AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher. It seems that the car meets the requirements of modern warfare, but information about contracts and supplies has not yet been received by the Russian army. The BTR-22 is positioned primarily as an export product.
BTR-22 at the World Defense Show (WDS-2026) in Riyadh
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Pelagia Tikhonova
The fate of the promising K-16 on the Boomerang wheeled platform is also unclear. In terms of performance, it is head and shoulders superior to the serial BTR-82A. The YaMZ-780 engine with a capacity of 750 horsepower, anti-shell armor with ceramic content, modularity of design, which makes it possible to create a whole family of highly specialized vehicles based on the K—16 - from infantry fighting vehicles to mobile air defense systems and self-propelled mortars, the most modern electronic stuffing. For the first time, the armored personnel carrier was presented to the general public at the Victory Day Parade in 2015. However, it never reached mass production. They probably continue to improve.
In the absence of direct competitors, KAMAZ PJSC has every chance to stake out a niche for itself as a manufacturer of the main armored personnel carrier of the Russian army. The company has considerable experience in producing armored vehicles. The same Typhoon-K proved to be a well-protected and reliable transport for the transportation of personnel in the SVO zone. The main thing is to bring the design of a promising APC to mind and establish large—scale production. The army needs a lot of these vehicles.
