The Vodnik is an Infantry Mobility Vehicle used exclusively by the Russian Armed Forces in ArmA 2.
Overview[]
- Roles:
- Troop transport
- Fire support
- Medical support
| « | GAZ-3937 "Vodnik" is a Russian high-mobility multipurpose amphibious vehicle. It can carry up to 10 people and drive at speeds up to 112 km/h (or 5 km when floating). This is equipped with a heavy machine gun. Armoury Description[1]
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Design[]
The Vodnik is a mobile multi-functional vehicle that puts a new spin on the light army truck concept. Unlike other vehicles in its class, the Vodnik is designed with modularity in mind, and can be utilised as a personnel carrier, convoy escort, or reconnaissance/off-road patrol vehicle.
Features
It is available in three configurations:
- Baseline troop carrier armed with two 7.62 mm medium machine guns fitted to the vehicle's roof[CfgVh 8][CfgVh 9]
- A heavy weapons carrier/gun truck armed with a 30 mm autocannon, coaxial 7.62 mm MMG, and defensive smoke launchers[CfgVh 10]
- An unarmed mobile ambulance variant that can heal wounded troops on the battlefield[CfgVh 11]
A multi-purpose armoured car, the Vodnik can essentially function as a quasi-Armoured Personnel Carrier depending on its configuration. The baseline 2xPK-armed model can transport more passengers at a time compared to HMMWVs and UAZ-469s (up to ten at once) whilst the BPPU sub-variant packs a 30 mm autocannon that allows the crew to engage hostile light/medium armour ground vehicles and even low-flying helicopters.
Role-wise, Vodniks occupy an odd niche within the Russian military's motor pool. In terms of survivability, it has better armour plating and more "health"[CfgVh 12] than the UAZ-469 by virtue of having its passengers and crew seated within an armoured cabin that is fully resistant to 12.7 mm bullet projectiles. However, it will still be shredded by AP shells fired by autocannons. Satchels and shoulder-fired launchers alike can similarly destroy the Vodnik with just a single hit to any part of the hull.
In a sense, Vodniks can be considered as up-armoured BRDM-2s that - at least in the case of the BPPU configuration, have better armament as well. They don't quite possess the same degree of modularity as the HMMWV family as no Vodnik variant has anti-tank/anti-air launchers, but this is more than compensated by the Vodnik's firepower and tough armour plating.
Mobility
Vodniks are amphibious-capable and can ford across any body of water.[CfgVh 13] On flat terrain, Vodniks are just as fast as the BRDM-2 and can comfortably attain a top speed of 91 km/h. It has decent off-road handling just like the BRDM-2[CfgVh 14], but it has a worse turn rate and will need slightly more room to manoeuvre if the driver attempts to make a hard turn.[CfgVh 15]
Crew Capacity
The baseline troop carrier has a crew of three that consists of the driver and two gunners who man the roof-mounted machine guns. On the other hand, Ambulance Vodniks only require a single crewman in the form of its driver. For passenger capacity, troop carrier Vodniks can carry up to ten passengers at once[CfgVh 1] whilst Ambulances are limited to only five passengers.[CfgVh 3]
BPPU Vodniks have the least amount of passenger seats available, as only two riders may be seated within the vehicle.[CfgVh 2] Its crew capacity is also slightly different as it needs a driver and a single gunner who operates the BPPU turret.
Variants[]

It is armed with two PKT 7.62 mm medium machine guns, with one facing forward[CfgVh 8] and the second facing towards the rear.[CfgVh 9] Both PKTs are pre-loaded with a 100-round belt box by default. A further 5× boxes are left in reserve. Each gunner has access to a total of 600 rounds, providing a combined pool of 1,200 rounds split between the two gunners.[CfgVh 16][CfgVh 17]

The main feature of this variant is its BPPU turret that is armed with a 30 mm autocannon and PKT 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun.[CfgVh 10] The turret is operated remotely from within the vehicle by a dedicated gunner. The 2A42 autocannon can fire either armour-piercing (AP) or high-explosive (HE) shells and has access to a combined pool of 300 shells (150 of each type). On the other hand, the coaxial PKT feeds from a single 1,500-round belt and has no spare belts to reload from.
For defensive purposes, the BPPU variant is specifically capable of deploying smoke grenades to conceal itself (6× volleys are available).[CfgVh 10][CfgVh 18] It is limited to a passenger capacity of no more than two passengers.[CfgVh 2]

Injured soldiers can approach the vehicle and "use" its supplies to fully recover from their wounds.[CfgVh 11] It is completely unarmed and can only transport up to five passengers at a time.[CfgVh 3]
Protection: Hitpoints[]
Base armour values for the Vodnik differ depending on its configuration:
- The baseline 2xPK troop carrier Vodnik and Ambulance variants share a base armour value of 85[CfgVh 19][CfgVh 20]
- BPPU Vodniks have a base armour value of 100[CfgVh 12]
Successful strikes to any of the following highlighted sections will inflict full damage to the component:
Left: Vodnik (Ambulance), Centre: Vodnik (2xPK), Right: Vodnik (BPPU)
LEGEND
Green = Body
Orange = Engine
Violet = Fuel tank
Maroon = Turret (traverse)
Gold = Turret (elevation)
Body[]
| Vodnik variant | Hitpoint maximum damage threshold | Damage shared to main "health" pool |
|---|---|---|
| Vodnik (2xPK)/Vodnik (Ambulance) | 85 [CfgVh 21][Formula 1] |
100% [CfgVh 22] |
| Vodnik (BPPU) | 100 [CfgVh 23][Formula 2] |
100% [CfgVh 24] |
Engine[]
| Vodnik variant | Hitpoint maximum damage threshold | Damage shared to main "health" pool |
|---|---|---|
| Vodnik (2xPK)/Vodnik (Ambulance) | 34 [CfgVh 25][Formula 3] |
20% [CfgVh 26] |
| Vodnik (BPPU) | 40 [CfgVh 27][Formula 4] |
20% [CfgVh 28] |
Fuel tank[]
| Vodnik variant | Hitpoint maximum damage threshold | Damage shared to main "health" pool |
|---|---|---|
| Vodnik (2xPK)/Vodnik (Ambulance) | 119 [CfgVh 29][Formula 5] |
100% [CfgVh 30] |
| Vodnik (BPPU) | 140 [CfgVh 31][Formula 6] |
100% [CfgVh 32] |
Wheels[]
| Vodnik variant | Hitpoint maximum damage threshold | Damage shared to main "health" pool |
|---|---|---|
| Vodnik (2xPK)/Vodnik (Ambulance) | 34 [CfgVh 33][Formula 7] |
30% [CfgVh 34] |
| Vodnik (BPPU) | 40 [CfgVh 35][Formula 8] |
30% [CfgVh 36] |
Turret: Traverse[]
NOTE: This hitpoint is only present on the Vodnik (BPPU) variant.
| Vodnik variant | Hitpoint maximum damage threshold | Damage shared to main "health" pool |
|---|---|---|
| Vodnik (BPPU) | 80 [CfgVh 37][Formula 9] |
50% [CfgVh 38] |
Turret: Elevation[]
NOTE: This hitpoint is only present on the Vodnik (BPPU) variant.
| Vodnik variant | Hitpoint maximum damage threshold | Damage shared to main "health" pool |
|---|---|---|
| Vodnik (BPPU) | 40 [CfgVh 39][Formula 10] |
10% [CfgVh 40] |
Protection: Armour[]
| .bisurf | Density[2] | Thickness[2] | bulletPenetrability[3] | bulletPenetrabilityWithThickness[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| armour.bisurf | 7840 | N/A; based on vehicle fire geometry thickness | 1 | N/A; not used by armour.bisurf |
| glass_armored.bisurf | 2400 | N/A; based on vehicle fire geometry thickness | 50 | N/A; not used by glass_armored.bisurf |
| metalplate.bisurf | 7800 | 2 | 200 | 10 |
Aside from the presence of the BPPU turret (on BPPU Vodniks) and whether or not the roof hatches are open (on the 2xPK variant), the types and levels of thickness for armour plates on all three variants of the Vodnik are identical to one another:
- The frontal section of the driver/side passenger window frames are made out of plain metal plates. These metal plates have a thickness of just 2 millimetres.[rvmat 1][bisurf 1]
- Its windows are made out of panes of armoured glass.[rvmat 2][bisurf 2]
- Aside from the frontal section of the window frames, the rest of the Vodnik's body/hull is protected by armour plating.[rvmat 3][bisurf 3]
The Vodnik's windows are bullet-resistant and can block 7.62 mm bullet projectiles, ranging from GPMGs to sniper rifles. However, this only applies to the frontal windows. The door windows are less durable and can only block 5.45 mm/5.56 mm bullets (they are not capable of blocking 7.62 mm bullets). These windows can be shattered by gunfire; they will no longer be able to block bullet projectiles once they have been completely shattered.
It should also be noted that the driver and side passenger doors are fully resistant to all bullet projectiles, though this degree of protection does not apply to the rest of the vehicle's body/hull.[note 1]
Thermal signature[]
Armament[]
NOTE: For specifics on the 2A42's munitions, see its related section listed here.
The gunner position controls all weapon systems on the BPPU variant (2A42 30 mm autocannon/PKT 7.62 mm coaxial medium machine gun) as well as its defensive smoke launchers.[CfgVh 10] In the case of the 2xPK variant, the two roof gunners each have control over the twin PKT 7.62 mm MMGs:[CfgVh 8][CfgVh 9]
2A42[]
NOTE: Only available on the Vodnik (BPPU) variant.
General-purpose 30 mm autocannon. Can load and fire either AP or HE-type shells.
It can toggle between two fire rates:
- 200 rpm: Fire rate of up to 200 rounds per minute.[CfgWp 1][Formula 11]
- 550 rpm: Fire rate of up to ~ 549 rounds per minute.[CfgWp 2][Formula 12]
No matter the selected fire rate, both of the 2A42's modes share the same dispersion value of 0.0005 rad.[CfgWp 3][CfgWp 4] There is no difference in muzzle velocity between its munition types as the 2A42 has a muzzle velocity of 960 m/s.[CfgMa 1][CfgMa 2] There is no delay for swapping between munition types.[CfgWp 5]
Manual zeroing is available, starting from a minimum of 100 metres up to a maximum of 1,800 metres (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800).[CfgVh 41] By default, the 2A42 is set to a zeroing of 600 metres.[CfgVh 42]
The 2A42 can be freely swivelled in any direction horizontally as the Vodnik BPPU's main turret has no traverse limits.[CfgVh 43][CfgVh 44] However, vertical rotation is restricted to a maximum elevation of 40 degrees[CfgVh 45] and a depression of just 8 degrees.[CfgVh 46]
PKT[]
| Ammo parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Base damage value | 12[CfgAm 1] |
| Aerodynamic friction | -0.00096[CfgAm 2] |
| Muzzle velocity (m/s) | Coax: 855[CfgMa 3] Pintle: 825[CfgMa 4] |
| Expected velocity (m/s) | 900 [CfgAm 3][note 2] |
| Deflection angle (degrees) | 10°[CfgAm 4] |
7.62 mm medium machine gun. It is fitted either as a coaxial weapon (BPPU) or onto a pintle mount (2xPK).
Both PKT variants can attain a fire rate of up to 800 RPM.[CfgWp 6][Formula 13] However, their muzzle velocity differs depending on the PKT's mounting position: the BPPU variant's coaxial PKT has a muzzle velocity of 855 m/s[CfgMa 3] while pintle-mounted PKTs have a muzzle velocity of 825 m/s.[CfgMa 4]
Accuracy-wise, the PKT has a dispersion of 0.00125 rad.[CfgWp 7] It takes at least 5 seconds to reload the PKT with a fresh belt or to fully rearm from a supply truck/ammunition crate.[CfgWp 8] Every fourth round in the belt will emit a visible green tracer.[CfgMa 5][CfgMa 6]
Manual zeroing is available for both coaxial and pintle-mounted PKTs alike. The minimum zeroing for both PKT configurations starts from 100 metres, though the maximum zeroing cap differs; for the coaxial PKT, it can zeroed up to a maximum of 1,800 metres (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800)[CfgVh 41] whereas pintle-mounted PKTs are limited to a lower cap of 1,500 metres instead (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500).[CfgVh 47][CfgVh 48] The differences in zeroing similarly apply to the weapon's default zeroing setting, as the coaxial PKT uses a zeroing of 600 metres[CfgVh 42] whilst the pintle PKT is set to a default of 300 metres instead.[CfgVh 49][CfgVh 50]
Lastly, rotation limits also differ depending on the PKT's configuration:
- For coaxial PKTs, their rotation limits are shared with the 2A42 autocannon's limits. The main turret can be freely rotated in any direction horizontally[CfgVh 43][CfgVh 44], but vertical rotation is limited to a maximum elevation of 40 degrees[CfgVh 45] and a depression of just 8 degrees.[CfgVh 46]
- Pintle-mounted PKTs are restricted to a horizontal rotation limit of 180 degrees.[CfgVh 51][CfgVh 52][CfgVh 53][CfgVh 54] On the other hand, vertical rotation is limited to an elevation of 60 degrees[CfgVh 55][CfgVh 56] and a depression of 25 degrees.[CfgVh 57][CfgVh 58]
Optics[]
Gunner[]
The BPPU-equipped Vodnik is the only variant that provides its gunner with a dedicated gunsight. It has the ability to switch between two magnification settings: a minimum of 1x zoom[CfgVh 59][Formula 14] and a maximum of 3.44x zoom.[CfgVh 60][Formula 15] It can also toggle a day or night vision mode.[CfgVh 61] A laser rangefinder is also available.[CfgVh 62]
It should be noted that operating the main turret will require switching the Vodnik's engine on as it is not powered by an auxiliary power unit (APU).[CfgVh 63]
Defensive sensors[]
| MAWS | RWR | IWR | LWR |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
No variant of the Vodnik has access to defensive sensors. The driver and gunner/passengers will not be warned if guided weapon systems are attempting to lock onto the vehicle.[CfgVh 64] Similarly, no alerts will be issued if a guided projectile has successfully locked onto the Vodnik and is inbound towards it.[CfgVh 65]
AI[]
NOTE: The following information only applies to the AI.
Camouflage rating[]
- Main article: AI Basics: Detection
All variants of the Vodnik have a camouflage[4] rating of 2.[CfgVh 66][CfgVh 67][CfgVh 68]
Cost[]
- Main article: AI Basics: Targeting priority
All variants of the Vodnik have a cost[5] value of 40000.[CfgVh 69][CfgVh 70][CfgVh 71]
Threat values[]
- Main article: AI Basics: Targeting priority
The threat[6] value of the Vodnik depends on its configuration:
- BPPU Vodniks are considered to be a medium-risk threat to AI-controlled infantry units, ground vehicles and aircraft (0.5/0.5/0.5).[CfgVh 72]
- 2xPK Vodniks are considered to be a medium-risk threat to AI-controlled infantry units (0.5). However, ground vehicles and aircraft consider the 2xPK Vodnik to be a low-risk threat (0.1/0.2).[CfgVh 73]
- The Ambulance Vodnik is considered to be a low-risk threat to AI-controlled infantry units and ground vehicles (0.1/0.1). However, aircraft do not consider it to be a threat (0).[CfgVh 74]
Noise factor[]
- Main article: AI Basics: Detection
All variants of the Vodnik have an audible[7] factor of 3.[CfgVh 75][CfgVh 76][CfgVh 77]
Trivia[]
- For unknown reasons, the in-game Armoury Description for BPPU-armed Vodniks[8] as well as the official ArmA 2 website's vehicles list[1] erroneously states that it is armed with a heavy machine gun.
- The in-game BPPU Vodnik is explicitly armed with a 30 mm autocannon and coaxial 7.62 medium machine gun. There are also no configurations of the Vodnik that have a HMG (the 2xPK variant only uses 7.62 mm MMGs).
- A bug would potentially cause the AI to keep firing at the gunner positions on the 2xPK variant even if both crew members were deceased. This was eventually fixed after Patch 1.09's release.[9]
- At ArmA 2's release, the BPPU variant was not actually capable of deploying smoke despite the presence of smoke launchers being modelled onto the turret.
- This was finally addressed following the release of the Community Configuration Project updates, which provided the BPPU variant's gunner with the ability to deploy smoke.[10]
- The latest Steam version patches (as part of CorePatch's changes) also granted the BPPU gunner access to magnified/night vision optics as well as a laser rangefinder.[11]
Gallery[]
Config/script references[]
CfgAmmoCfgMagazines
CfgWeapons
CfgVehicles
.rvmat.bisurfFormulae
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Notes[]
- ↑ The Vodnik's fire geometry Level-of-Detail (LOD) does not have an .rvmat assigned to the driver/side passenger's doors. Because of this, the model falls back to using the Real Virtuality engine's default material, which will cause a cloud of dust and sand to appear when the door fire geometry LODs are hit by bullet projectiles (like as if the bullet had struck the terrain's surface instead).
- ↑ Damage will be reduced if the projectile's velocity drops below this value.
References[]
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External links[]
See also[]
Vehicles of comparable role and configuration[]
| Wheeled | BTR-90 (HQ) • BM-21 Grad • Kamaz (Ammunition, Fuel, Open, Repair, Salvage, Supply) • Vodnik (Ambulance, BPPU) • UAZ-469 (AGS-30) |
| Tracked | 2S6M Tunguska • BMP-3 • T-72 • T-90 |
| Rotor-wing | Ka-52 • Mi-8MTV-3 (Mi-8MT Medevac) • Mi-24P (V) |
| Fixed-wing | Pchela-1T • Su-39 • Su-34 |
| Aquatic | PBX |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. | |








