Russian Airborne Troops will receive GAZ-2330 Tigr armored vehicles

The Russian Airborne Troops will be mainly equipped with Russian GAZ-2330 Tigr light armored vehicles, manufactured by MIC, a GAZ Group division, at the Arzamas machine-manufacturing plant.

The Tigr family of 4x4 multi-purpose armored vehicles comprises many different variants for both military and police forces, such as the SPM-2 GAZ-233036 Tigr vehicle.

The Russian Defense Ministry had earlier announced that it would not acquire anymore Italian Iveco LMV M65 Lynx 4x4 light armored vehicles. The Lynx vehicle had been selected over the Tigr under the previous Defense Minister Anatoly Sedyukov.

That decision was unusual in that Russia in principle tends to buy from domestic companies. The new Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has now insisted that domestic companies must receive priority in procuring weaponry for the Russian military.

The first 57 Lynx vehicles were assembled last year with 10 percent local content at a plant in Voronezh. In 2013, the remaining 301 vehicles under the existing contract will be assembled at a new KAMAZ plant in Tatarstan. A total of 1775 Lynx vehicles are planned to be acquired by 2015 for $1 billion.

The Russian Airborne Troops may also be equipped with KamAZ 6x6 armored personnel carriers, provided the design is tailored to meet the requirements of Russian paratroopers.


http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20130226/179682507/Russian-Paratroopers-to-Receive-Indigenous-Armored-Vehicles-----.html

By Vovan [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons