The BRDM-1 (Bronirovannaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina, meaning “Armored Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle”) was a Soviet-designed vehicle manufactured from 1957 to 1966.
- Angola acquired approximately 120 BRDM-1 units from the Soviet Union.
- Amphibious capability: Its primary advantage, allowing it to cross water obstacles.
- Auxiliary wheels: It featured two pairs of chain-driven belly wheels that could be lowered to provide additional traction in muddy terrain or to cross trenches.
- Armament: Early models had no main armament, but later versions were fitted with pintle-mounted machine guns (7.62 mm or 14.5 mm). The user had to expose themselves to operate the weapon, a key limitation that led to the development of its successor, the BRDM-2.
- Variants: Specialized variants included command vehicles (BRDM-1U) and chemical/biological reconnaissance vehicles (BRDM-RKh), as well as versions fitted with anti-tank guided missiles (e.g., 9P110 with AT-3 Sagger missiles).