¹⁄1

BRDM 2 Scout Car

The ideal reconnaissance vehicle should be quiet, fast and above all inconspicuous. However the Russians require many of their combat vehicles to be amphibious and this means that they have to be large. Thus although the BRDM 2 is designed to provide a role similar to that of the British Ferret it is almost twice the size. This additional bulk means that the BRDM 2 will float without any additional measures.

The BRDM 2 first appeared in 1966. In its basic form it is a four wheel drive scout car with a small machine gun on top. It is powered by a rear mounted GAZ V8 petrol engine which also supplies power for the ducted water vents it uses when swimming. Looking under the body between the two main wheels you can see a pair of smaller wheels on each side. These are chain driven from the gear box and can be lowered to help the vehicle negotiate rough country.

Although it includes several improvements over the BRDM 1 it is still a lightly armoured cheap and cheerful vehicle that has been widely bought by other countries despite its limitations because it is cheap and easy to maintain.

This information is from the boards provided by Bovington Tank Museum.