IMR-2

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The IMR-2 is a heavy Soviet/Russian combat engineering vehicle built on the T-72 tank chassis. IMR stands for Inzhenernaya Mashina Razgrazhdeniya, meaning “Clearing Engineering Vehicle.” Development began in the 1970s and was completed by 1980, with production running from 1982 to 1990. About 659 were built.

Purpose and design
- It replaces the T-72’s turret with a rotating multipurpose telescopic crane and adds a front bulldozer blade for clearing obstacles. The blade can be folded when not in use.
- It can clear stone barriers at about 280–350 meters per hour and fill trenches or tree barriers at about 350–400 m3/h.
- A 12.7 mm NSV machine gun provides self-defense.

Key specifications
- Mass: 44.3 tonnes
- Dimensions: Length 9.55 m, Width 4.35 m, Height 3.68 m
- Crew: 2
- Armor: protection against small arms and shell splinters
- Main armament: 1× 12.7 mm NSV machine gun
- Engine: V-84MS V-12 turbocharged diesel, 840 hp
- Power/weight: ~19 hp/tonne
- Suspension: torsion bar
- Range: 500 km
- Maximum speed: 50 km/h

Operational history
- Used by Russia and other militaries
- Fought in the Soviet–Afghan War, the First and Second Chechen Wars, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Also deployed in the Syrian Civil War, the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and relief operations after the Chernobyl disaster

Overview
The IMR-2 is a purpose-built engineering vehicle designed to clear obstacles, support fortifications, and move material on the battlefield, using a crane and bulldozer blade on a T-72 chassis.