Russia Tests New Chemical Reconnaissance Armoured Vehicle

Russia is trail testing its RKhM-5M Chemical reconnaissance vehicle prototypes that are designed to conduct chemical, radiation and biological reconnaissance within Airborne Force units.

The vehicles, which are able to transmit reconnaissance data automatically, are capable to determine the level of contamination at various areas from far away and dup precision weapon guidance systems. The vehicle is also able to detect biological threats rapidly.

“The trials are being conducted to check whether the vehicle can be airdropped with all the equipment and the crew onboard with the use of special multi-canopy parachute systems," Airborne Force spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Yevgeny Meshkov said Friday.

The vehicle can monitor the situation at a radius of up to 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). The vehicle’s design provides protection for its crew from effects of mass destruction weapons.

The chemical reconnaissance vehicle can be airdropped with its crew onboard from transport aircraft with the use of rocket-assisted and multi-canopy parachute systems.

The vehicle weighs 13.2 tons and has a length of 6 meters, a road speed of 70 km/h (43.5 mph), a water speed of 10 km/h (6.2 mph) and endurance of 500 kilometers (310.7 miles).

The RKhM-5 chemical reconnaissance vehicle is armed with the PKT 7.62mm machine gun with an ammunition load of 1440 rounds. The vehicle’s crew totals three.