The rising protection levels of NATO's light armored vehicles created the need to strengthen the armament of Russian APCs — a requirement that led to the development of the BTR-80A. However, the vehicle's fire control system was extremely primitive. It could not fire accurately on the move or at night, and range estimation had to be done by eye. A partial solution came in the form of the BTR-82A, which was equipped with a stabilizer and a more powerful engine. Trials of the BTR-82A began in 2009, and by 2013, it had entered service with the Russian Armed Forces and gone into serial production.

An upgraded version named the BTR-82AT was unveiled at the "Army-2019" exhibition. The vehicle received a modern fire-control system featuring a laser rangefinder and a thermal imaging sight. The vehicle was also outfitted with slat armor developed by the Steel Research Institute to provide additional protection against HEAT munitions. The BTR-82AT entered mass production in 2021. Previously, Soviet and Russian series-production BTRs were never equipped with ATGMs. However, in 2022, Caspian Flotilla marines installed a Kornet ATGM launcher on the rear of a BTR-82AT turret as a field modification.

The BTR-82AT was introduced in Update 2.51 "Spearhead". It is an advanced version of the BTR-80A and superior in every major aspect. Its stabilizer enables precise fire on the move and makes flanking maneuvers more effective. Meanwhile, its high-resolution thermal sight allows for long-range ATGM engagements. The more powerful engine improves mobility, but protection remains a mixed bag. Its basic armor is identical to that of the BTR-80A. While the add-on slat armor helps the BTR-82AT against heavy machine gun fire, it also significantly reduces the vehicle’s mobility, a deficit that the upgraded engine cannot fully compensate for.