DUSHANBE, March 25, 2015, Asia-Plus — More than 100 armored personnel carriers (APCs) BTR-80A are expected to be delivered to Tajikistan for the Russian military base this year.
Colonel Yaroslav Roshchuk, a spokesman for Russia’s Central Military District, says the APCs will be delivered to Tajikistan before the end of this year.
The BTR-82A is an advanced 8×8 wheeled armored personnel carrier (APC) being manufactured by Military Industrial Company of Russia for use by the armies of Russia and Kazakhstan. The first prototypes of the vehicle were unveiled in December 2009. The APC”s features were demonstrated during the 15th Interpolitex State Security Materiel Show at the All-Russia Exhibition Centre in Moscow in October 2011. It was also displayed at the Russian Expo Arms 2011 show in Nizhny Tagil.
The BTR-82A APC was developed based on the design of BTR-80A. The vehicle offers improved protection capabilities than its predecessor. The APC measures 7.65m in length, 2.9m in width and 2.8m in height. It has a weight of 15,400kg and accommodates up to three crew and seven troops. The cabin is fitted with new seats and air-conditioning system to provide more comfort for the occupants.
The BTR-82A APC can perform combat operations 24 hours a day. The main armament of the APC is 30mm dual-feed automatic cannon. The gun can fire armor piercing-tracer (AP-T) projectiles, high-explosive fragmentation-incendiary (HEF-I) and high-explosive-tracer (HE-T) ammunition. The secondary armament of the vehicle includes a 7.62mm PKTM coaxial machine gun. The turret incorporates two-axis stabilization, new sighting channels, and three forward-facing 81mm smoke grenade launchers on each side. The firing elevation ranges from -7° to +70°.
The Russian military base deployed in Tajikistan is Russia”s largest non-naval military facility outside the country. It was officially opened in Tajikistan in 2004 under a previous agreement, which was signed in 1993, and hosts Russia’s largest military contingent deployed abroad.
A total of some 7,000 Russian troops are stationed at three military facilities collectively known as the 201st military base – in Dushanbe, Qurghon Teppa, some 100 kilometers from Dushanbe, and Kulob, about 200 kilometers southwest of Dushanbe.
