BA - 64 The BA - 64 was a 4×4 light armoured car , employed by the Soviet Army from 1942 into the early 1960s for reconnaissance and liaison tasks . The BA - 64B was nicknamed ' Bobik ' by its crews . The total recorded number of BA - 64s produced differs even in Russian sources . The most frequently - stated figures are 9 , 110 ( 3 , 901 BA - 64 and 5 , 209 BA - 64B ) vehicles which were built in the GAZ automobile plant , although a memorial plaque near the pictured Nizhny Novgorod car states 9 , 063 cars . The Red Army representatives accepted only 8 , 174 BA - 64s , including 3 , 390 with radio sets ; the other vehicles were transferred to NKVD units and Soviet allies . Production history . The BA - 64 armoured car was a construction initiative of GAZ chief designer V . A . Grachev . Design work started on July 17 , 1941 . The designer ' s team also included F . A . Lependin ( general layout ) , G . M . Wassermann ( leading engineer ) , Yu . N . Sorochkin , B . T . Komarevskiy , V . F . Samoilov ( armoured hull ) and others . On April 10 , 1942 , Grachev was awarded the Third Grade Stalin Prize for creation of the BA - 64 armoured car and GAZ - 61 light jeep . The initial BA - 64 model was based upon the GAZ - 64 jeep and fitted with sloped armour that had some similarities to the German Sd kfz 222 design . One captured Sd Kfz 222 was transferred to GAZ for examination and analysis on September 7 , 1941 . The first prototype was tested on January 9 , 1942 . The hull had many resemblances with sdkfz - 234 basic shape , and it had an open roof , with a pintle - mounted 7 . 62mm DT machine gun . The vehicle was operated by a crew of two . The next day the BA - 64 prototype was shown to Kliment Voroshilov . The official presentation was in the Kremlin on March 3 , 1942 . The State Defence Committee adopted the BA - 64 for Red Army service on March 14 , 1942 . It was top - heavy and could easily overturn on rough terrain . The improved BA - 64B model was introduced in 1943 , based on the GAZ - 67 B jeep , with a wider wheelbase . This model also had a small machine - gun turret added . The mass production of BA - 64Bs continued through the rest of the Second World War and ceased in 1946 . The last 62 vehicles were completed in that year . BA - 64Bs were also used by Polish and Czech units , raised in Soviet Union . After the end of the war , some BA - 64Bs were transferred to the police of the GDR . There were other post - war transfers of BA - 64Bs to North Korea , China and Yugoslavia . The BA - 64 remains in use with the Korean People ' s Army Ground Force . Combat history . The major drawback of the BA - 64 was its light armament . However , BA - 64s were successfully utilised in reconnaissance and liaison missions despite this disadvantage . One benefit was the high elevation angle of the DT machine gun in complement with high speed and good manoeuvrability , which allowed BA - 64s to be used in urban combat with success against enemy infantry hiding on the upper floors of buildings . In addition , the high - angle traverse of the DT machine gun could be used to engage enemy aircraft , although the light firepower of BA - 64s was not sufficient for the effective destruction of aerial targets .