ASU-85

Created to provide fire support to the VDV, mounting an 85mm cannon and a coaxial MG on a fixed forward mount.

In Team Yankee

This is going to be an exceptionally cheap fire support option for the VDV, bringing a low AT cannon (probably with HEAT) on a very lightly armored chassis.

In Real Life

The ASU-85 is an example of a good idea made obsolete by time. Based on the PT-76 Light Tank, the ASU-85 was intended to act as a replacement for the ASU-57 Airborne Tank Destroyer. And to be fair, the design is a pretty neat one...for the 1950s. By the 1960s, this thing was pretty much a waste of space for VDV armories. The problem lies in the configuration. This is an Airborne Assault Gun Vehicle intended to take on the first generation of MBTs in a battlespace that included weapons such as the wire guided anti-tank missiles. It's not surprising that by 1969 the ASU-85 was being replaced with IFVS like the BMD-1. Yet despite this, the vehicle was still kept in service as late as 1993. The Reason you ask? Well pretty much the Same reason the Russian Marines kept the PT-76 for so long. While the vehicle isn't necessarily a good anti-tank platform, it still had a tank cannon capable to deal with hard targets. Remember, this thing can be air dropped onto the battlefield. And in the early stages of an operation, the enemy will probably not have their heavy vehicles ready to react. So having a tank gun on hand can be useful to deal with things like bunkers and emplacements, or to provide close in artillery fire.

Now the next question you may be asking is why Soviets went with a WW2 tank destroyer style vehicle as opposed to a traditional tank. Well for starters removing things like the turret helps cut down on weight and height. Compare this to the Sheridan which not only is tall but has thin armor. But there is another reason, a psychological reason. This vehicle is not meant to retreat. Sure, you can go into reverse and fire, but it's not as effective as just turning tail and using the turret to cover your retreat. By design, this thing is intended to either push forward or hold the line.

As for users...only the Soviets, Polish, and Vietnam used the vehicle. And even then, only Vietnam still uses it. Yeah, it wasn't that popular of a design.