Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)
Russia will showcase its latest armored personnel carrier (APC), the BTR-22, at the World Defense Show 2026, which opens its doors in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, from February 8 to 12.
Video and several photos that surfaced online on January 8 shows the APC in a desert color scheme being unloaded from a cargo plane in an airport near Riyadh. The vehicle was equipped with the BPPU-1 turret, but the heavier “Balista” turret was also brought along.
The first prototype of the BTR-22 was presented in 2023. Since then, multiple configurations were displayed at successive military expositions.
Last year, the APC was spotted during the Zapad-2025 joint military exercises in Belarus This marked the BTR-22’s first documented field use, indicating its transition from prototype to operational testing.
Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)
The BTR-22, which weights around 20 tons, represents a major departure from the design of older BTR-82U and BTR-87. The hull features a raised roofline and a v-shaped underbody that enhances blast resistance against landmines and improvised explosive devices. These features are very similar to the Boomerang platform, which weighs 34 tons.
The APC armor can withstand 12.7 mm and 14.5 mm armor piercing rounds along the frontal and lateral arcs. The vehicle is also designed to support modular add-on armor kits.
It is powered by a YaMZ-536 diesel engine, delivering approximately 330 horsepower, with a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour and an estimated operational range of approximately 750 kilometers.
The standard BPPU-1 turret is armed with a 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon and 7.62 mm PKTM coaxial machine gun. The same 30 mm cannon is used in the heavier Balista, which is also equipped with twin 9M113 Konkurs anti-tank missile launchers.
The 2A72 has a rate of fire of approximately 330 rounds per minute, with an effective range up to 2,5 kilometers. Meanwhile, the latest versions of the Konkurs, which is guided by command via wire, have a range of up to four kilometers and can penetrate up to 800 mm of rolled homogeneous armor behind explosive reactive armor.
Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)
Overall, the BTR-22 was clearly designed to provide a better performance than the BTR-82U and BTR-87 at a cost lower than the Boomerang.
While the APC appears to be very much operational, it is still unclear if it will be purchased by the Russian military. The producer, the Military Industrial Company, appears to be ready to export it, however.
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