The BRDM-2 (Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dosornaya Maschina, БОЕВАЯ РАЗВЕДЫВАТЕЛЬНАЯ ДОЗОРНАЯ МАШИНА, litterally "Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle" † (http://www.milparade.com/Soderzhaniye.pdf)) is an armored scout car used by Russia and the former Soviet Union. This vehicle, like all other military equipment of Soviet design, has been exported extensively and is in use in at least 45 countries. It was intended to replace the earlier BRDM-1 with a vehicle that had improved amphibious capabilities and better armament. The BRDM-2 is driven by a 140 hp rear-mounted gasoline engine that also supplies power to a waterjet for amphibious travel. It has a crew of four, a driver, co-driver, commander, and gunner. The armament is the same as the BTR-60 armoured personnel carrier, a 14.5 mm machine gun with a 7.62 mm machine gun as a secondary weapon. The armament on the vehicle protects fully against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters. The Russian Federation (Russian: Росси́йская Федера́ция, transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija), or Russia (Russian: Росси́я, transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija), is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. ... Soviet Union - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... The word amphibious or amphibian, when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language. ... Petrol (gasoline in the United States and Canada) is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... East German BRDMs on parade during celebrations of the 40th anniversary of East Germany in 1989 Armoured personnel carriers (APCs) are light armoured fighting vehicles for the transport of infantry. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... The term small arms describes any weapon that a person can easily transport and fire. ... Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ...
This vehicle differs from the original BRDM in that the powerplant has improved and moved to the rear of the vehicle, and that a small 14.5mm machinegun-armed turret has been fitted.
It was first seen in 1966 and by the mid-1980s was rapidly replacing the BRDM in the Soviet and Warsaw Pact armies.
Like the earlier BRDM, the BRDM-2 is a fully armored, four-wheel drive, amphibious reconnaissance vehicle with two pairs of belly wheels and a centralized tire pressure regulation system for increased cross-country capability and a single water jet for propulsion through water.