Russia’s new army car is fire and radiation proof - and it’s a LADA!

A new car designed specifically for the Russian military has an incredibly light frame, is fire and frost-proof, and boasts stealth technology. It has one even more surprising feature though: It’s a cabriolet.

The vehicle’s design is based on the LADA Niva, an iconic, Russian-made off-road model. It has a small body, can only seat two people, and is great at going “off-piste.” The engineers have also stripped the car right back: It has no doors or roof.

"The vehicle’s design is based on the LADA Niva, an iconic, Russian-made off-road model." / Togliatti State University

The “improved” version of the Niva, designed specifically for the army, will be shown to the public for the first time at the international military-technical forum “Army-2017” - which will take place in the Patriot Expocentre in the Moscow Region from Aug. 22 - 27.

"The car has a small body, can only seat two people, and is great at going “off-piste.” The engineers have also stripped the car right back: It has no doors or roof." / Togliatti State University

The car’s designers claim it’s resistant to almost everything including corrosion, fire, frost, chemicals, and X-Ray radiation. Apparently the car’s body is made from a special polymer composite.

One thing remains a mystery though: If the car is fire, frost, and radiation resistant, shouldn’t it at least have a roof?! Nah, it’s just a prototype after all.

The “improved” version of the Niva, designed specifically for the army, will be shown to the public for the first time at the international military-technical forum “Army-2017” / Togliatti State University

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