The American military converted a tracked M113 armored personnel carrier to visually imitate a Russian BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle, using a mounted combat module with a 30-mm automatic cannon and characteristic external features. The vehicle was used at one of the training grounds as part of unit preparation for operations against a simulated enemy.
Such hybrid solutions are used to create a realistic training environment where personnel practice equipment recognition, target tracking, and decision-making in conditions as close to combat as possible.
The armored vehicle's hull received desert camouflage and additional mounted equipment. The installed module with a 30-mm 2A42 cannon and sighting devices enhanced its resemblance to the Soviet-Russian BMP, which is important for scenarios where the "enemy" is modeled based on real equipment samples.
The use of such vehicles has become a common practice in large-scale exercises. Instead of original samples of potential enemy equipment, armies create functional and visual analogues based on existing platforms, which reduces costs and simultaneously increases the realism of training.
