Pictures : Vadim .
Date of last correction : 07.05.04
BRDM-2 was permitted as the only Armored Vehicle to be in use of PA security mechanisms , and only in Gaza strip , and not west bank . BRDM-2 is recon Soviet made vehicle , has amphibious qualities, has a long run without refuel of 750 km on road , has very high mobility sence it was designed to be a recon vehicle - has 4 retractable wheels in the belly of the APC besides the 4 regular wheels , every wheel is a leading one , and has special system of changing air pressure on every wheel . APC has 2 Machine guns mounted on it's turret , 14.5mm main KPVT MG , and coaxillary 7.62 mm KPT MG . KPVT has the abillity to shoot down even some light armored targets , and has maximum range of 2 km , while KPT has the maximum range of 1.5 km . The vehicle armor resistent to shrapnel , and light weapons fire . The crue of BRDM-2 is 4 men .
The BRDM-2 was used by PA National Security Force (Kuwaat Al-Amn Watani) , and 17 Force (Amn Al- Ri'asah) . There are several accounts of BRDM-2 presence in West Bank also , thought it was against Oslo agreements (like the supposedly 1996 IDF official report of 6 BRDM-2 presence in Rammalah , near Arafat compound) .
The vehicles were slowly destroyed by IAF attacks sence the rise of second Intiffada in 2000 , when PA security mechanisms failed to stop terror wave , and contributed to it in some ways . The last and biggest known IAF attack was on 20/02/02 IAF AH-64 Apache helicopters attacked 17-force Anzar -2 outpost , and destroyed the vehicles . It remains unknown , if some of the vehicles survived those attacks .
Date of introduction : 1963 , Soviet Union .
Crew : 4
Weight : Over 7 Tons .
Chassis Length Overall : 5.75 m
Height Overall : 2.31 m
Width Overall : 2.75 m
Engine Type : 140-hp Gasoline
Cruising Range : 750 km
Max Road Speed : 95 km/h
Weaponry :
Main : 14.5-mm Machinegun KPVT , belt feed .
Rate of Fire : 150 practical/600 cyclic rounds per minute .
Auxiliary : 7.62-mm (7.62x 54R) Machinegun PKT
Rate of Fire : 250 practical / 650 cyclic in 2-10 round bursts (rpm) .
(Technical information taken from fas.org ) .
* Article about BRDM-2 presence in PA : radiobergen.org/governments/ acquiescensce.html
BRDM-2 Specification : http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/brdm-2.htm
(* The article is outdated to 1999 , and reflects possible fears to that time frame , and several conspiracy motives . The information on that article is effective only to that moment of time ).
(courtesy of waronline.org website ).
8 BRDM-2 were destroyed .