Decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, the annual Victory Day parade in Moscow to honor the defeat of Nazi Germany during the Second World War continues to be a great opportunity to scope out Russia’s latest tanks, mobile ballistic missiles, combat aircraft and aerial weapons, and other large military hardware. Though it looks like it might be better suited to carrying the henchmen in an action movie than actual troops, a small armed snowmobile called the Berkut-2 and its heated cabin may be one of the most interesting participants this year, underscoring the country’s growing militarization of the Arctic Region. Russian firm NPO Transport builds the small vehicles, which are essentially small car body fitted on top of a snowmobile chassis, in the city of Nizhny Novgorod in Western Russia. The Berkut-2, also known as the TTM-1901-40, the particular variant that took part in the parade, is a refined, militarized version of the original Berkut TTM-1901.

NPO, which also makes a variety of heavier snow-capable vehicles for industrial purposes, such as oil and gas field work, had initially promoted the Berkut mainly on the civilian market. In 2015, the company said it had a contract with the country’s Defense Ministry and the following year it delivered the first batch of 40 Berkut-2 vehicles, which only require a single driver and have an additional seat for a second individual inside the enclosed cabin.

Vitaly Kuzmin Berkut-2 being paraded through Moscow during Victory Day 2018 review.

"The regional authorities [in Russia’s Arctic areas] have helped us to develop and make the advanced vehicle,” NPO Transport Director General Nikolai Veselov said in October 2016. “This year, we have been granted a subsidy as a compensation of part of our investment in the development of the production facilities – 3.3 million rubles,” which was equal to approximately $53,000 at that time, he added.

NPO Transport The first iteration of the TTM-1901 Berkut.

The Berkut and Berkut-2 are both relatively simple vehicles. The original design used body components from old Soviet-era VAZ-1111 Oka compact cars. The Oka subsequently became a Lada-branded product before production ended in 2008. The Berkut-2 features a much more streamlined looking body that does not appear to have any relation to the Oka. Both the original and the improved design use the same VAZ-21213 80-horsepower engine, which is also found on some models of the popular Lada Niva jeep.

NPO Transport The engine compartment of a Berkut.

Underneath is a traditional snowmobile design, with a pair of articulating skis up front to steer and tracks at the rear to drive the vehicle. NPO says it can hit a top speed of nearly 40 miles per hour, but it’s not clear what sort of surface conditions it requires to achieve that performance. The Berkuts can travel an average of 125 miles on a single tank of gas, according to the firm. It’s also small enough to fit on the back of relatively small trucks for more rapid transport to and from snow-covered areas of operation. During the Victory Day parade, civilian-style flatbed cargo trucks carried the snowmobiles. Many of Russia’s military transport aircraft, such as the Il-76, could easily carry them internally and An-32 or An-76 tactical airlifters may be able to as well. Helicopters such as the Mi-8/17 could carry them sling-loaded or even possibly inside their cabin. This could also make the Berkuts an attractive way to provide additional mobility for airborne or special operations forces inserted in remote Arctic areas for short-duration missions. Russian units already train to conduct parachute jumps above the Arctic Circle.

Vitaly Kuzmin