author. Equipment and weapons magazine
A video from a Ukrainian drone appeared on X (formerly Twitter) showing an attack on a very rare Ladoga armored vehicle. This special purpose vehicle was created in the last period of the existence of the Soviet Union.
Ladoga vehicles, initially developed under the codename Debiut, are specialized armored evacuation vehicles with tracked traction. It was created to meet the needs of the top political and military leadership of the USSR. About 4-5 examples were built. Ladoga is based on the chassis of the T-80B tank with components developed for the T-80U tank, including the GTD-1250 gas turbine generating 1,250 hp. The use of such a powerful engine allows this 42-ton machine to reach a speed of 70 km/h on rough roads and up to 110 km/h on paved roads. Operational range is 350 km.
A very unique Russian VTS “Ladoga” military transport vehicle, targeted by an FPV drone on the front line.
It is known that no more than 4-5 similar machines were produced, including a test prototype. Ladoga was built on the basis of the T-80 tank chassis. Designed for… pic.twitter.com/3HL53vHagr
– Kherson's own cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) March 27, 2024
The vehicle is armored, but not as heavily armored as main battle tanks. It has no composite armor, just steel. In addition, the interior of the cockpit and passengers are protected against radiation. The vehicle is equipped with an overpressure system and ventilation filter for defense against weapons of mass destruction. In conditions of operation of weapons of mass destruction, Ladoga can operate for 48 hours. One of the Ladoga vehicles was used to remove traces of the disaster that occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. There the car was used to check the pollution level. As it turned out, the car passed this unplanned test and successfully carried out the tasks assigned to it.
Over time, Ladogas was discontinued. Even more surprising was to see one example during fighting on the territory of Ukraine. What role should Ladoga play on the front line? It can be used as an improvised armored personnel carrier, command vehicle, medical evacuation vehicle, technical security vehicle, or armored tractor. It is also unknown if the car was destroyed. It is worth noting that Being hit by an FPV drone, or even having the armor penetrated, does not mean the vehicle is automatically taken out of service.
The presence of Ladoga in Ukraine is very interesting. It might mean that The Russians are running out of certain types of specialized armored vehicles, Such as technical security vehicles, as a result of the large losses they are exposed to. Attempts to salvage the situation by returning rare and specialized vehicles, sometimes even prototypes, to service can only help in the short term.
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