The US conducted National Guard exercises at Camp Roberts in California. During the maneuvers, the military used inflatable models of Russian armored personnel carriers BTR-90 on the chassis of Humvee cars, Defense Blog writes .
The cars were equipped with a visual modification kit with a lightweight frame that holds fabric coverings and inflatable elements. The vehicles imitated the actions of Russian-made BTR-90 armored personnel carriers. It is noted that the operation of cars is cheaper than the operation of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, which imitate the equipment of a conditional enemy.
The machines were equipped with the MILES laser system (Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System), which allows you to register conditional hits during exercises. Humvee also received machine guns to simulate firing.
The BTR-90 was first introduced in 1994. The car was tested, but the armored personnel carrier was not mass-produced. The floating BTR-90 received an on-board information and control system and a V-shaped bottom, which enhanced mine protection. The arsenal of the BTR-90 included a 30 mm 2A42 cannon, an AGS-17 grenade launcher, a machine gun and anti-tank missiles.
In February, it became known that the US military will receive mock-ups of Russian T-72B3M tanks and Chinese VN17 infantry fighting vehicles (BMP) on the M2 Bradley BMP chassis.