Russia Develops New Hybrid-Powered Silent APC

Russia has developed and tested a hybrid-powered silent armored personnel carrier (APC) that could eventually be remotely operated, according to manufacturer Military-Industrial Company.

The Krymsk APC, based on the BTR-90 Rostok vehicle, has a hybrid engine and can move virtually silently on a battery-driven electric motor when its diesel engine is turned off, Ria Novosti quoted a spokesperson as saying.

According to the report, it can only move silently on electric power over short distances but with new types of battery “that distance can be increased dozens of times,” he said.

The Krymsk is in effect a remotely controlled platform, which could subsequently be developed into a “robotized platform,” Suvorov said.

During a recent test the vehicle showed a maximum speed of 97 kilometers per hour (60 mph), accelerating to 80 kilometers per hour in 33 seconds, Suvorov said.

Krymsk can be equipped with weapon systems “based on new physical principles, for example, laser or electromagnetic weapons,” he said.