Invasion forces deployed by russia in Ukraine have started to receive BPM-97 Vystrel equipped with BM-30-D Spitsa combat modules in limited quantities, russian media report.
There is no additional data on how many of these vehicles would be delivered but we can assume the batches won't be coming with dozens of them at a time. The reason is, the variant of BPM-97 specifically with BM-30-D Spitsa turrets only entered production in spring 2022. None of them has been seen used by the russians in Ukraine so far.
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The only episode a BPM-97 with this turret was spotted took place in October 2022. Although initially it looked like heading to Ukraine, in fact it was escorting a column with an unknown "special cargo."
First we should discuss the BM-30-D module. It is a remotely controlled (unmanned) turret with a 30mm 2A42 autocannon, the same kind that is used on BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles; a 7.62mm PKTM machine gun (GRAU Index: 6P7K) and an AG-30 automatic grenade launcher. The module utilizes a laser rangefinder, a television and a thermal cameras.
With that in mind, it should be expected that these BPM-97s go to russian airborne forces given the "agile" character of operations carried out by these units.
As for the chassis, the BPM-97 can be rightfully called a "reincarnation" or a "clone" of Soviet BTR-40 armored vehicles, since they are similar in both looks and functions. Despite being in low numbers in the russian military, these vehicles are already known even to the Ukrainian forces.
That is because russians have been using them since the battles of 2014-2015. Then, during the full-scale invasion, they lost at least four of them, including two captured by Ukrainian soldiers – according to the Oryx OSINT community.
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