RKhM-5M NBC armoured enters in service with Russian airborne troops

The RKhM-5M NBC reconnaissance vehicle has been made operational with Russian Airborne Force NBC protection units, the Defense Ministry’s press office said. The RKhM-5M is based on the chassis of BMD-3 airborne IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle. It has a crew of three.

RKhM-5M NBC reconnaissance armoured of Russian airborne troops vehicle at Army-2017 International Military Technical Forum near Moscow, Russia (August 2017)

"The first example of the RKhM-5M NBC reconnaissance vehicle has been delivered to the Airborne Force’s large unit stationed in Tula [in central Russia] for operational evaluation and the delivery of vehicles of the type is planned to begin in early 2018," the press office said.

The RKhM-5M is based on the baseline standardized chassis of the BTR-MDM Rakushka armored personnel carrier and is designed for NBC reconnaissance.

The vehicle can detect hazardous substances in the air remotely, conduct route chemical, radiation and biological reconnaissance, mark the environment on an electronic terrain map and transmit reconnaissance data to the automated command and control system.

The vehicle is equipped with an advanced automatic weather-forecasting system able to measure wind speed and direction, air and soil temperature and atmospheric pressure in real time and transmit this data to the automated workstation of the vehicle’s commander.

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