Vietnam interested to purchase Russian BPM-97 4x4 armoured.

Vietnam could be interested to purchase and produce the Russian-made BPM-97 Vystrel 4x4 armoured vehicle to replace the old Soviet-made BTR-152 wheeled armoured personnel carrier in service with the Vietnamese army.

Russian-made BPM-97 fitted with a two-man turret armed with a 30mm automatic cannon (Picture source Army Recognition)

Russian KAMAZ trucks are very popular in Vietnam since 1979. KAMAZ trucks are already produced in Vietnam since 2004 in the northeastern Vietnamese province of Kuangnin. In June 2016, Russian press agency has announced that KAMAZ has signed an agreement to increase the development of supply chain to deliver KAMAZ trucks to Vietnam.

The BPM-97 (Boyevaya Pogranichnaya Machina for Battle Vehicle of the Borderguard) or Vystrel is the Russian military designation for the KAMAZ 43269 Vestrel 4x4 wheeled armoured vehicle. The BPM-97 is based on the truck chassis Kamaz 4326 and as the name suggests was designed for the Russian Border Guards.

The BMP-97 can be fitted with the same turret mounted on the Soviet-made BMP-2 tracked IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) which is armed with a 30mm automatic cannon as main armament. The vehicle can be also fitted with a short-range, low altitude air defense system SAM armed with four launchers for 9M37 surface-to-air missiles.

The hull of the BMP-97 is welded from armour steel, which provides the crew with protection from small arms fire and shell splinters of the battle field. The upper part of the shell withstands hits from a 12.7x108mm - NSV machine gun with a distance of 300 metres, the lower part from 7.62x54mmR SVD rifles with the distance of 30 m.

The BPM-97 provides seating for up to 10 troops, including driver and commander. It is motorised with a Kamaz 8 cylinders Diesel engine 740.10-20 developing 240hp, mounted at the front of the chassis. The vehicle can run at a maximum road speed of 90 km/h, with a maximum road range of 1,100 km.

BPM-97 with short-range, low altitude air defense system SAM armed with four launchers for 9M37 surface-to-air missiles. (Picture Russia Defence Forum)