This modification of the well-known armored personnel carrier was characteristic exclusively for the Limited contingent of Soviet troops in the Republic of Afghanistan. The partisan nature of the fighting revealed the vulnerability of armored personnel carriers to the fire of hand-held anti-tank weapons and mines of dushmans. To increase the firepower directly in the army, an AGS-17 easel grenade launcher was welded onto the armored personnel carrier's turret, water tanks and a spare wheel were attached to the hull from above, which created additional protection against bullets and shrapnel.