
How to buy a tank: a BRDM-2 story - 8ig8
http://ntv.livejournal.com/364943.html
======
yaakov34
Here's a story from someone who actually did buy some military vehicles for
the guys in the South-East:

[http://vk.com/juchkovsky?w=wall151630709_7596%2Fall](http://vk.com/juchkovsky?w=wall151630709_7596%2Fall)

He says he bought two BRDMs (like the one in the article) for ~$40,000 each,
and a BTR-80 (a relatively new fighting vehicle) for ~80,000. The difference
is that the vehicles are fresh (new from old stock/conservation) and they
"come with all the accessories, if you know what I mean" (wink-wink, nudge-
nudge, say no more).

Maybe the guys from the South-East really did buy their stuff at the surplus
store, like Putin said.

According to the same source, a tank (with all accessories included?) would
cost ~$200,000.

~~~
trhway
>Maybe the guys from the South-East really did buy their stuff at the surplus
store, like Putin said.

it is surplus store not available for others :) The guy in the original
article bought a vehicle which just a step from "a 7-ton piece of junk" \- at
least it was playing that role for many years at the military base what it was
bought from. The hardware in your post's link came from a kind of "limited
access surplus store" which was used at the beginning. Currently a lot of the
rebels' hardware, including armored vehicles and tanks, are in very good
condition and of pretty good "model year" :) - for example among the rebels'
main battle tanks are pretty modern, latest version of T-72 (still, in
addition to the newest T-90, used by Russia (and only by Russia, ie. it hasn't
been exported) ) with all the bells and whistles (navigation/targeting
hardware, reactive armor, active protection system, etc...)

Note: of course not all the hardware is that good and new. Two other main
sources of the hardware are captured (and in many cases i suspect actually
bought while reported as captured as many people in Ukrainian army and
government are reluctant, to say the least, to fight the rebels or are just
corrupt - also check out the stories about "lost" and "prepared for sale to
unknown buyer" tanks at Kharkov tank factory (cool photos just to get a scale
of possibilities [http://thehiat.blogspot.com/2012/06/kharkov-armoured-
repair-...](http://thehiat.blogspot.com/2012/06/kharkov-armoured-repair-
factory.html) ) :) hardware of Ukrainian army in Donetsk/Lugansk region and
the hardware the Ukraine left in Crimea which was trafficked into
Donetsk/Lugansk.

~~~
PerfectDlite
Care to explain how Ukrainian army can sold vehicles and weapons which were
present only in Russian army?

~~~
army
I think you're wasting your time trying to convince people who don't want to
see what's right in front of their nose. It's not remotely plausible that
events in Crimea and Donbass could have transpired without a great deal of
direct and indirect support from the Russian authorities.

It's entirely obvious by now that there are large numbers of Russian troops
and military vehicles operating in Eastern Ukraine. They were fighting
directly with Ukrainian forces before the ceasefire and probably still are now
to a lesser extent. The other irregular forces have clearly been helped
directly by Russia allowing them to operate freely on Russian territory, with
manpower and training from the Russian military, and food, hardware and
supplies from Russian military stocks.

Putin eventually admitted after the fact that the little green men in Crimea
were Russian soldiers. Only fools would believe any claims that they're not
deeply involved in what's gone on in Donbass and other parts of eastern
Ukraine.

------
smoyer
For those wondering ... the (current) value of those 100M Belarus Rubles is
$9492.16 US.

~~~
sergers
Thanks i was wondering too. As I clicked the comments link was just thinking I
could convert this myself.

Pleasantly surprised one of the first comments answered my question in thus
saving me the time to write this comment instead of first relooking up the
belarusian amount in the article and then quick conversion.

~~~
vsviridov
xe.com is your friend

------
ejain
How to not buy a tank: [http://www.geekwire.com/2014/paul-allen-
paid-2-5m-historic-g...](http://www.geekwire.com/2014/paul-allen-
paid-2-5m-historic-german-tank-says-seller-refuses-deliver/)

~~~
chiph
The Littlefield collection is/was probably the finest in US private hands. My
understanding is the original owner died recently, and the heirs have no
interest in running the museum, so they've split it up and auctioned it off.

Nicholas Moran, who is the armor history expert for the World of Tanks video
game, has made several videos about interesting vehicles in the collection on
his YouTube channel (TheChieftainWoT). The amusing part is watching him trying
to shoehorn his height into some of them. Especially the Soviet designs, since
crew comfort was far down on their list of design priorities.

------
blhack
40 liters per 100 KM = 10gal/60mi.

It's about 6mpg. Not great, not as bad as I would have guessed.

~~~
foobarian
Surprising that a 5.5 liter engine has only 140 horsepower. Goes to show just
how far modern engine design has come.

~~~
dntrkv
Horsepower isn't nearly as important as torque for a vehicle like this. If you
look at even modern work trucks, they may have a 6-7L engine pushing only
~300hp or so but with like 700-800lb-ft of torque.

But yes, engines have come a long way. I remember being amazed at 450lb-ft of
torque on diesel work truck. The new Fords push something like 860lb-ft.

~~~
grogers
Big torque from an engine sounds impressive but in reality only power matters.
You can always change gear ratios to get more torque, which means more force
to the ground.

Power determines how fast you will accelerate, how fast your top speed is,
etc. It's all about conservation of energy.

~~~
bcohen5055
Efficiency is really the name of the game. Do you really want to have a
massive 7L engine spinning at redline just to be able to reduce that down 1:10
for some good torque? I'd much rather just an engine with the RPM held at the
"crossover" of the Torque/HP lines or working within an island of efficency

------
ojbyrne
Not actually a tank. No tracks, no turret, no armor piercing gun.

EDIT: it does have a turret. Still not a tank.

EDIT2: the main armament is a machine gun. Totally not a tank.

~~~
idlewords
Story is not titled "how I bought a tank" but "how to buy a tank". Rolling +20
pedantic, you are defeated.

~~~
ajuc
It's not pedantic to critique misleading titles.

Imagine article "How to build website in assembler" to learn author meant
writing it in javascript but it's close enough.

~~~
willvarfar
Ah you mean asm.js? :D

~~~
ajuc
Like you could write website in it :) At some point you need strings.

~~~
willvarfar
(You do know that the programs compiled down to asm.js do actually have
strings, right?)

------
rurounijones
> Thankfully, a nearby construction site loaned us their crane.

Hahahaaaaa, brilliant! The kind of things you would never be able to do in a
western country "Think of the insurance liabilities!"

~~~
flurp
More like you can't do that in the USA because of insurance/liabilities. In
most of Europe, assuming you found a friendly soul, they'd give you a hand.
Liability is mostly an "american" thing. (I'm from Europe)

~~~
yardie
More like West coast/East coast USA thing. You'd get the same kind of help in
the midwest. People love to have a story to tell.

~~~
tracker1
Not just the midwest, I've seen similar help happen here in Arizona.

------
redwood
I thought all you needed was to be a school district and they came free

------
Erwin
This would have made a great episode of "Top Gear: Russia". I imagined an
excited Clarkson narrating this.

~~~
squozzer
They were once taped rummaging through a jet graveyard somewhere in Eastern
Europe - a bunch of old (and totally cool) MiGs.

------
markvdb
Quote from the article: "The driver had a nice sense of humour and at the
first three police stops he was like: \- What's this? \- That's for our guys
on the South-East."

...

~~~
rpenm
Yes, most Russians support military intervention in Ukraine. This would
probably be less surprising if ordinary Americans and Russians engaged in
political dialogue.

------
justintocci
the horror! don't empty the tires on a seven ton vehicle!!

~~~
Gracana
That sounded alarming to me as well, but looking at the photos I don't think
it's actually sitting on its rims. It is probably supported by solid run-flat
wheels, like the magnesium ones used on HMMWVs.

~~~
vonmoltke
It's sitting on its belly wheels, normally used in these vehicles for trench
crossing.

~~~
Gracana
Are you sure? It doesn't look that way to me, particularly in this picture:
[http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/ntv/14201556/1204378/1204378_...](http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/ntv/14201556/1204378/1204378_original.jpg)

------
iguana
Would it be possible to import into the US?

~~~
letstryagain
I think you can own a howitzer in the USA if you want

~~~
rtkwe
You can own basically anything given enough forms and legal wrangling.

~~~
fludlight
Two or three of the tanks in the Littlefield auction had functional main guns.
You needed a special ATF license for "destructive devices"(?) to take
delivery. Getting said license is probably non-trivial, but very much possible
for law abiding citizens.

------
_mulder_
For those in the UK and Europe, check out
[http://www.russianmilitary.co.uk/for-
sale.php?headers=land](http://www.russianmilitary.co.uk/for-
sale.php?headers=land). You can buy similar vehicles, fully working, for a
similar price infact

~~~
arethuza
You can get all kinds of surplus UK kit - here is just the thing for getting a
space in the school car park in the morning:

[http://www.mod-
sales.com/direct/vehicle/related/45842/Saxon....](http://www.mod-
sales.com/direct/vehicle/related/45842/Saxon.htm)

Edit: One of these "Combat Engineer Tractors" would be ideal for tasks around
the garden:

[http://www.mod-sales.com/direct/vehicle/,37,/35549/CET.htm](http://www.mod-
sales.com/direct/vehicle/,37,/35549/CET.htm)

Edit 2: Why is the MOD selling Corvettes???

[http://www.mod-
sales.com/direct/vehicles/,109,/American_Cars...](http://www.mod-
sales.com/direct/vehicles/,109,/American_Cars.htm)

~~~
ibisum
I think Corvettes were used for some sort of on-runway operations involving
planes and whatnot - maybe as a chase vehicle for some planes with landing-
gear issues, or something like that.. I can't remember the details, but I do
remember that there are Corvettes at some American bases for things like this.

~~~
arethuza
Good point - I believe U2 pilots need to be talked down the last few feet by
someone in a chase car:

[http://jalopnik.com/5537629/the-140-mph-chase-cars-of-the-
us...](http://jalopnik.com/5537629/the-140-mph-chase-cars-of-the-us-air-force)

Maybe U2s were operating from RAF bases and they thought it was polite to use
US cars?

~~~
walshemj
The US RAF bases where little piece of America in the UK vehicles drove on the
right.

------
JackuB
Well, in EU, it doesn't seem like big issue to buy tank:
[http://www.armytechnika.cz/nabidka/pasova-
technika/tanky/tan...](http://www.armytechnika.cz/nabidka/pasova-
technika/tanky/tank-t-72-m)

------
bipin-nag
It's like the APC in GTA 4. Corvette certainly is no match for the BRDM-2.

------
JacobEdelman
One part of me was thinking who has the time and money to go and buy a tank
but another part just kept thinking about how the US supposedly has a huge
amount of tanks they are not using...

------
edem
This is actually not a tank. It is an Armoured Fighting Vehicle, but not a
tank. It looks like an Armoured Car/Security Vehicle instead.

------
_RPM
What is the motive for buying a tank? I just don't see how it could be useful.

~~~
philbarr
That's what I like about this story! Pick a stupid idea and just follow it
through to it's conclusion for no reason. You'll create all your best stories
doing that.

For example - on holiday myself and a friend decided to paddle "as far round
the coast as we can" in an inflatable dingy and a crate of beer. We met some
naked hermits round the coast, and things just went weirder from there. We
still laugh about it 15 years later.

Life is about creating experiences for yourself that you'll remember. Often
those experiences aren't going to happen by making sensible choices...

~~~
_RPM
> paddle "as far round the coast as we can" in an inflatable dingy and a crate
> of beer.

That seems incredibly dangerous to do. It is good to hear you survived.

------
viggity
there was a guy that drove a similar looking vehicle in my college town. His
license plate said "HUM THIS"

------
sssilver
I guess the Russians enjoy a different kind of freedom that we don't
experience in highly regulated countries.

~~~
6t6t6
Yes, well, I guess that allowing people buying military vehicles, and driving
them on public roads is all what you need for a successful society, isn't it?

~~~
byEngineer
No. You need to have the right to bear arms on the one hand and be disallowed
to paint _YOUR_ house any color you want. No wonder you are frustrated!

~~~
aidenn0
To be fair, very few municipalities will restrict the color you pain the
house, it's primarily private organizations that do that.

~~~
UrMomReadsHN
Historical neighborhoods too, think brownstones.

------
jsonmez
Tanks a lot for this article.

------
alexyes
You can also buy it here: [http://www.amazon.com/JL421-Badonkadonk-Land-
Cruiser-Tank/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/JL421-Badonkadonk-Land-Cruiser-
Tank/dp/B00067F1CE)

~~~
alexyes
OK, sorry, it was a bad joke..

------
galago
For $9k one could do a lot of amazing things...travel the world, not just
tourist crap but visit amazing places...you could seed some kind of
business...you could just help someone in need...or you could buy obsolete
military equipment. I'm not sure I get it. ???

~~~
readerrrr
You obviously didn't read the article.

 _And the main thing. Right now I 'm in the active process of polishing it up,
getting my license and documents. This will take some time, but after it's all
done, I will start the gnarliest road trip livejournal has ever seen..._

~~~
galago
I'll take my down votes I guess, but the road trip I would love to take
wouldn't be in an antique military vehicle.

~~~
redacted
It is strange you are forced to purchase obsolete Russian military vehicles
before you could take a road trip! I don't think we have to in Australia, nor
in many EU countries.

