"The armored vehicles will be used in military operations against the IS Takfiri terrorists in Northern and Western Iraq upon arrival in the country," the source apparently said, adding that the costs for purchasing the vehicles will be paid by the Iraqi government later.
The story is illustrated with a photo of a Russian BMR-3M “Vepr” (Boar) armored clearance vehicle.
The vehicle was developed on the basis of the T-90 MBT (main battle tank); it was built to collect intelligence, overcome obstacles and perform mine clearance.
It clears passages of a width approximately equal to the inter-wheel clearance of tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers.
Attached to the front of the vehicle are two arms, each with solid steel wheels that rely on their weight to detonate mines while driving over them; this doesn't damage the tanks due to their thickness, allowing the vehicle to continue along its path with other tanks such as the T-90 following it.
According to the Russian media, Russia has already supplied fighting equipment to Iraq: Russian Mi28 anti-armor attack helicopter, multirole Mi-35 attack helicopters, the Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jets, TOS-1A heavy flamethrower systems, Pantsir air defense systems, Dzhigit support launching units, artillery and other ammunition.
