Soviet Wheeled Armored Vehicles

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1013

by Steven Zaloga



SOVIET WHEELED ARMORED VEHICLESby Steven Zaloga

~ J I . I ~ J l N . / I PUBLICATIONS COMPANY



Copynght © 1990

by CONCORD PUBLICATIONS CO

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Printed In Hong Kong

Front Cover

A BTR ·60 PU com mand yehicJe, currently preserved at the Soviet Artillery and

Engineer Mu seum in l eningrad.

Back Cover

A BTR -GOPB infantry transporter of the Finn ish Army. (Yves Debay)



INTRODUCTION

The Soviet Army Ground ForCeS cbssify wheeled~ r m o r c d vchicles " KUM ff, (Koksnara b o y c v a y ~ mashlml: Wheeled c o m b ~ 1 vehicles) . This ca tc:goryincludes IWO broad f ~ m i i c s ohrmorcd vchlcles, ~ r m o r c d SCOUI vehicles, such as tile UII.DMs. lind :ilrmorcd

t r ~ n S l X l r l c r s , such as the IITII.·6oI'B. The Soviet Ground

ForceS often equip their ( o r c c ~ with twO different typesof SOOul vehicles and armored tranSIXlrtcrs, bothwh(elc:d and tracked Iypes. For c)tllmplc. in the 19705,the IlRDM -2 was the: standard wheeled SCOul vehiclewhile the: BRM (based on the BMI'- lj W;l.S the s t a n d ~ r d trllcked SCOUI vehicle. Likewise In the case of :ilrmorcd

Infantry vehicles, the 11'1"11. -70 was the wheeledtransporter, lind the liMP-l was the tracked infantrycomblll vehicle.

The rC;;lson for thiS multipliCity of types Is thatwheeled vehicles ~ r e less expensive to ~ c q u l r e , ~ n d less

expensive 10 o p e r ~ than tracked vehicles, The SovietGround Forces extremely large in number ~ n d Itwould be impossible 10 e< luip all units with t r ~ c k e d c o m b vehicles . Wheeled combat vehicles offer Jeoodmobility In mosl conditions. and are more econornlcal.

The firSI wheeled combat vehicles after World War 2

were: the BTN ·'lO and BTR · 152 . The IJTR -40, althoughdeSignated an armored trAnsporter ( IlTII in RUSSian meansbroneu':msporu:r, armored t r ~ n s p o r t e r ) . it waS nOt

primarily intended For InFantry t r ~ n s p r t . but For ~ c o u t sections lind command groups. It was not entirelysuccessful as a scout vehicle, lind In the mld · 1950s. beg:111to be rq>laced by:& fully armored derivative. the UIIOM· I .The BKOM· 1 was the first true armored scout vehicledeveloped for the Soviet Army In the poSt ·war years. Itwas manufactured both In a scout version. lind In s e v e rtank destroyer versions. The BROM · 1 con tinu ed 10 serveIn dwindling numbers until the 1970:;, and ,till serves Insmall numbers around thc world with foreign armies.

The first Soviet armored infantry uamporter was theBTN · I 52 . The BTN · I 52 was basically an armored versiono f the ZIS· 15 1 truck. The SovietSwere very slow 10 beginmechanizing their Infantry. In World War 2. the GermanWctmnacht, US Army and Brit ish Army had all adOp tedarmored Inflntry vehicles, mosl commonly on half-tr.lckchaSSiS . The SovietS did not begin thi s process until theearly 1950s w i th the 8TR-152 . In 1957·5R, the So\'ietGround Forces begln reorganlzinK all of the rlnedivisions intO new formations called motor rlnedivisions. These were originally eq uipped with thcUTII.-152, but new vehicle WlS In development speCiallyfor them. Thi s w ~ s the UTII·60 ~ r m o r e d transporter .

The B1"II.·60 w ~ s a significant improvement over theBTR · 152 . It was fully amphibious, ~ n d the Independentsuspension on its dght road wheels gave It much superiorcross·country performance . The original ve rsions, theI!TR -601' ~ n d BTR ·60A, were: buih In very small numbers.They were ([ulckl y r e : l > l ~ c e d by the BTII·60PB which

1x:C'.lme the s t ~ n d l r model of this f ~ m l l y The BTN ·60P I!hls been the most widely produced SOviet armoredtransporter, with over 25.000 manufactured. It Is fullyarmored. ln d Is e<lulpped with a turret mounted 14.5mmheavy machIne gun and 7.62mm co·axlal m ~ c h i n e gun .Although a malor improvement ovcr earlier models. Itwas not en t l rdy I)()pul:&r with itS crews, sometimes beingc ~ l t e d the ~ k o k s l l j y H r o b or ~ ( X / e d C o f f i n This

name stemmed from its hull shape. which Is called ac o m n hull " in RUSSian . It used tWO ]Jlsollne engines

which c o m p l i C ' ~ t e d the I)()wertra ln ar rJllgeme nt ~ n d ledto mechaniclI problems. [n d [ t i o the gasoline fuelmlde the vehicle more prone to fires if hit In combat.

Some of these problems were resolved with the

newer BTR ·70 which entered se rvi ce In the laiC 19705.The I)TR-70 used new hull desiKn which of fered beller

a c c e ~ and exit for the troops. In add ition, It marked aswitch to diesel engines. The selection of Iwln engincsfor these: vehicles has been to keep the COS t of the vehiclelow. TIle engines used in Ihe IITR,60 and BTII.·70 arc

commonly ~ v ~ U ~ b l e tru ck engines. not s p c c i ~ 1 I 7 . e d armored vehicle engines.

Hoth the BTII ·60 ln d BTII-70 were used in comb:it bySoviet troops in A f 8 h ~ n i s t ~ n They were commonly usedfor convoy escort duty along the d:lnge:rous rOlds leadingfrom Soviet territory to Kabul , Many were' losl Inambushes to the mulahidcen reSiStance fighte rs. In thefinal years of the campaign, some units began to Ix:ree<lulpped with the new IHR -80 armored t r ~ n s p o r l e rThi s vehicle Is close ly reilled to the BT II.·70. but has lnew single diesel engine. cO lllparedlO the Iwln engine in

Ihe BTR ·70. As a result, the r e ~ r of the: vehicle is

conSiderably different from the BTR ·70.

Although there: have been many changes In the UTIIfamily o f armored transportcrs, the BRDM vehicles h ~ v e r e : m ~ l n e d b ~ s e d around the UIIDM·2, In service since: theearly I%Os . There h ~ v e been many ch ang es on thisvehicle ovcr the )'Cars, most noticeably In IheconfigurAtion of the: e:ngine deck. Otherwise, it isessentially similar , The: UKOM-2 haS formed the basiS fora large number of Spc:cll U7.ed derivatives. IncludingIl l lsslle'arme:d lank deStroyers, chemicl I scout vehicles,command ve:hlcles ln d even the SA-9 Glskln air defense

m l s ~ l I e \'ehicle. lIeaders will notIce the s i m i l ~ r i Ina p p e r ~ n c e of the BII.DM and BTII f:unlly of \'ehicJcs. ThisIs In large melsure due 10 the FlCt that they h:ll'e all beendesigned by 1I single Sov iet design bureau. thc DedkovOKB. one of the: mOst successful Soviet armored \'ehlcletealllS,

Besides Ihdr service in the Soviet Army, Sovietwheeled combat vehicles ha\'e been widel y used

thrOUKhout the world . These vehicles have seen combatin the Middle East Wars, In th e Angolan War. in the: Iran·Iraq Gulf War In the 19805, and el'en in the fighting inGren:lda in 198j. The primary aim o f thiS book is toprovide modelers with close ·up detail photos of thesevehicles, but In addition. rare phOtOs are included here

showing Ihese vehicles in combat lround the world.

The tllalorily of the photos in thIs book are fromofficbl US l:>Cpartme:nt of Defense sources. and theauthor would like to his a p p r e c l ~ t l o n for help In Ihlsprolect . The author would al so like to thank James Loop.George Balin, Christopher Foss, David Isby ~ n d many

o ther friends for Ihelr help In preparing thiS book. Inadditlon. Ihe author would like to offer a special word of' h ~ n k ti l U<.)b Fleming and the: Budge Collection for the

opportunity to photogl'2ph thi s unique privat e coll ectionof finely restored o r e d vehicles.



...... The BRDM-l was a derivative of the BTR -40 armored tran sporter, coveredlater in this book. The BRDM-l was deve loped in 1954 as a scout vehicle formechanized units. It wa s fully amphibious, and could carry a variety of machine

guns on ex ternal mounts. This vehicle is currently preserved in the Polish ArmedForces Museum in Warsaw.

. . Thi s rear view of a BRDM-l shows the rear hydrojet port in the openposition. Water wa s drawn in undernea th the vehicle, and expelled out the rearfor water propulsion. Production of the BROM-l lasted from 1958 to 1968 andamounted to about 10,000 vehicles. It is no longer widely in service.

<I1 I Among the export cl ients of the BRDM- l was the Cuban Army. II is nolonger in fronl- line service in Cuba, but is used for militia training as seen here.



• Indonesia rece ived the BROM-l in th e 1960s. 11 was used intothe 198 0s, primarly by the Indonesian Marines. This ve hicle showsa typical arm ament fit of three SGM B 7.62mm ma chine guns. SomeSoviet ve hicles ca rried a 12 .7mm OShK heavy ma chine gun in thecen ter mount instead .

. . . . The BROM-l served as the ba sis for three different tank

des troyers. Th e 2P27, seen here in Polish service in th e 1960s, wasarmed with the 3M6 Shmel (AT. ' Snapper) wi re guided anit-tankmissi le.

III> The 2P27 tank des troyer carried three 3M6 Shmel

(Bumblebee) missiles on elevating launchers. h began to bereplaced after 1960 by an 2P3 2 tank destroyer improved type usingthe more advanced Fa langa anti·tank missile .



• Indonesia rece ived the BROM-l in th e 1960s. 11 was used intothe 198 0s, primarly by the Indonesian Marines. This ve hicle showsa typical arm ament fit of three SGM B 7.62mm ma chine guns. SomeSoviet ve hicles ca rried a 12 .7mm OShK heavy ma chine gun in thecen ter mount instead .

. . . . The BROM-l served as the ba sis for three different tank

des troyers. Th e 2P27, seen here in Polish service in th e 1960s, wasarmed with the 3M6 Shmel (AT. ' Snapper) wi re guided anit-tankmissi le.

III> The 2P27 tank des troyer carried three 3M6 Shmel

(Bumblebee) missiles on elevating launchers. h began tobe

replaced after 1960 by an 2P3 2 tank destroyer improved type usingthe more advanced Fa langa anti·tank missile .



"

.. . A 2P27 tank destroyer w ith its three missiles in

launch position. These veh icles were not widelyexported outside of the Warsaw Pact at the lime, and

as fa r as is known, never saw combat service beforetheir retirement in the early 19705

....... A close up of the Falanga (AT·2 Swatter) mi ssile

launcher on the 2P32 tank destroyer. Theconfiguration of the 2P32 was similar to that on the

2P27, but four mi ssiles could be carried.

.... A tank destroyer platoon with two 2P32 (#416AND 41 1) and one 2P27 (#393) in the lead. Eachmotor rifle regiment typica l ly had a company of nine

of these vehicles, consisting of three platoon s wi ththree vehicles each.



In 1961, the 2P32 began to be rep laced by an improved type using the9M 14 Malyutka missile in its place. The main advantage of this type is that itco uld ca rry six missi les on the laun ch rail s, plus an additional eight in stowagein the hull. The earlier tank destroyers had little or no reload capacity.

Development of a replacement fo r the BRDM·1 began in t 962 , andproduction began in 1968 as the BRDM·2. The BRDM·2 was about the same sizeas the BRDM·1, but used a rear mounted engine. It wa s regu larly filled with aturret mounted 14 .5m m KPVT hea vy machine gun with a co-ax ial 7.62mm

machine, a distinct adva nta ge over the BRDM·l . This is a BRDM·2of

the AfghanArmy wi th the insignia ca rried up to the late 19 70s.

Th e BRDM·1 with 9M14 Malyutka missile co uld lower the launch arrayinto the hull when not in use, as seen here on a German vehicle. Its light weightal so permitted it to be air tran sported .

An interesting overhead view of a pair of BRDM·l /9M 14 Malyutka tankdestroye rs with the armored roof over the missile laun chers erected. Careful

examination of the photo will revea l a small armored cover between the twofront hatches which protec ted the aiming sigh t for the missiles.



... Two BRDM·2s were supplied to the People 's

Revolutionary Army of Grenada, and th is one from

the Calvigny Infantry Battalion was knocked outduring fighting wi th paratroopers of the 82ndAirborne Division on the island during the invasionby US forces in 1983. The second was captured byMarine armored units in the S. George 's area .

... The BRDM·2 has been wIdely exported

throughout Africa due to its low cost and ease of

maintenance. As a result, it has seen widespread

combat serv ice there in the 1980s .

. . . . Th e princi pal armament of the BRDM·2 is the

14 .5mm KPVT heavy ma,:hine gun. The turret on the8RDM·2 is essentially the same as the turret on the8TR -GO PB armored transporter.



•

20

A cross-sec tion view of the. BRDM·2, 1. Bow deflector sc reen. 2. Fronttowing hook. 3. Infrared dr iving headlight. 4. Vehicle instruments. 5. Vehiclecommander's infrared searchlight 6. Peri sco pes. 7. Fir ing porI. 8. 14 .5mm KPVTma chine gun. 9. Vehicle air filter/fan. 10. Oi l reservo ir . 11. Engine fan . 12.

Hydrojet tunnel. 13. Exhau st muffler. 14. Shock absorber. 15. Engine. 16.

Auxiliary wheel s. 17. Powertrain . 1B. Ammunition stowage. 19 . Vehicle radio.

20. Vehicle w inch.

A Democratic Republic of Afghanistan BRDM-2 cap tured by themujahideen rebels in 198 7. This is a late production type w ith the additionalperiscope on the turret roof and th e view por i on the left turret side. (Da vid Isby)

·w:.__ .. ··_--

12

13



An interior view of the front compartment of a BRDM-2. The driver sits to

the left, and the vehicle commander to the right. The cross-shaped markings onthe periscope housings are for trials purposes and are not normally carried.

A view of the left rear corner of the fighting compartm ent of a BROM-2 . Th eturret can be seen in the upper left of the photo. In this view, the turret istraversed towards the rear, and the machine gun s are not fitted .

A view from the driver 's seat looking back into the ri ght rear corner of the

BRDM-2 hull . Th e vehicle interior is the same dark green color as the ex teriorof the vehicle, except for the upper hull sid es whi ch are gloss white.

An overall vi ew the BROM-2 interior. In combat, the vehicle interiorwould be a great deal more cramped since a considerabl e am ount of spa ce istaken up with ammun ition .



"l1li The configuration of the engine deck on the BRDM-2 evolved through threestyles. This is the third and final configuration, characterized by these distinctiveoval vent and intake covers.

Y The Iraqi Army hasmodified its BRDM-2s by upgunning some of them with

a 23mm gun derived from the ZU-23 anti·anticraft gun. The se also have amodified sight on the right side of the turret roof. (Christopher Foss)



...... The BROM·I tank destroyers were replaced withnew variantson the BROM·2 cha ssi s. One of the leastcommon was this type, armed with the Falanga M(AT·2b Swatter A) anti·tank missile. This version uses

radio command guidance rather than the usual wireguidance.

... The most common Soviet tank destroyer in the1970s was the 9P I 22, a combination of the BROM·2with the 9M 14M Ma lytuka anti·tank missile. Thisparticular 9P122 lank destroyer was originally inEgyp tian service, captured in the 1973 war, and putinlo Israeli service as is evident from the markings.(Christopher Foss)

... A 9PI22 tank destroyer preparing to (ire. Notice

that the cover for the optical sight on the right uppercorner of the vehicle superstructure is open.



An interior view of a 9P I 22 tank des troyer, showing the right side of the

hull compartment occupied by the missile operator. The joy-stick control usedto steer the missile is located immediately in front of the seat.

A view of the right rear of the hull compartment in the 9P122. Notice tha tthere is no easy access between this compartment and the missi le launchersection; the miss i le rails have to be reloaded externally.

A view of the driver's station in a 9P I 22 tank des troyer with the driver's

seat fo lded. In the lower right side of the photo, the missile operator's joy-stickis ev ident.

A view of the left rear portion of the 9P 122 hull behind the driver's seat.In comparison to the normal BRDM-2, the air filtration sys tem is moved forwardin the hull , over the driver 'S left shoulder.

•



A 9P l 22 lank destroyer. Although in Soviet markings, it actually belongs to the Budge Collec tion inBritain . It wa s in Israeli service for som e time, as is evident from the added stowage rail s on the hull side.



A Syrian 9PI22 tank destroyer in ca mouflage

typicalof

the 1973 war: tan , dark green and mediumgreen. In this view, the launch rails are eleva ted , butthe guidance sight is not open.

Ordinarily, the launch rail s for the 9P I 22 arecarried in the hull recess in the center of the vehicle.This Syrian vehicle has an instrumentation packageon the roof, not a normal feature on this vehicle.



An overhead view of a Soviet BRDM·2 tank destroyer with afull load of five 9M 113 Konkurs missiles. Notice that this versionhas a new electro-optica l sight over the operator's hatch. This sightcan be tra ve rsed through 1800 which permits off·axis launch of themissiles .

A close-up of the launch rack for the 9MI13 Konkurs (AT ·5Spandrel) mi ssile on the BRDM·2 tank destroyer. The 9M 113

Konkurs has superior range to the 9M ' ' I Fagot. (Christopher Foss)

The latest tank destroyer version of the BRDM·2 mates the lateproduction BRDM·2 hull with the 9MIII Fagot (AT-4 Spigot) and9MI13 Konkurs (AT·5 Spandrel) anti·tank missiles. The launcherscan be filled with ei ther type. Thi s Iraqi Army vehicle has two of

the 9M I l i on the right side, and three of the larger 9M 11 3 on theleft. (Ch ristopher Foss)



Another viewof

the Iraqi BRDM-2 tank destroyer. In this view, the miss

ile operator's guidance si teis pointed forward and has the protective door in the open pos it ion. (Christopher Foss)



.. . As in the case of the other members of the BROM·2 family,the SA·9 Gaskin vehicle is fully amphibious. This particular viewis interesting in th at it shows the vehicle fully eq uipped with the

Box " passive electronic senso r antenna arrays. These smallboxes pick up the microwave emissions of jet atta ck aircraft ,th ereby giving the crew some warning as to the lik ely direction of

attack .

...... The SA·9 Gaskin anti·aircraft missile veh icle is also mountedon the BRDM·2 hull. It car ri es four 9M31M Strela 1 missiles on a

traversable laun ch array. The vehicle can carry up 10 six mi ss ile s,

th e other two being stowed on th e side rack s.

... An overhead view of the launcher array on the SA·9 Ga skin .Thi s is an intermediate production BRDM·2 hull , wilh the slatted-

style cove rs aft the turret. The SA·9 Gask in is being replaced by theSA· 11 Goph er, but man y remain in service around the world.

The BRDM vehicles are frequently used as chemical scout



vehicles. This is the origina l chemical scou t ve hi cle of the BRDM-2family, designated BRDM-2Rkh a. The -a ve rsion has the same14 .5mm machine gun as the normal BRDM-2 scout car.

""'... A rear view of the BRDM-Rkh vehicle. The devices on the rearare flag emplacers, used to fire warning flags into the ground. Atthe ba se of the array is a small explosive squib which can bede tonated in sequence from within the vehicle. The se are laid inareas that are chemically or radi oactively contaminated. From themarkings, this vehicle belongs to the Polish 7th Lusatian Naval

Assault Division.

... The BRDM-2Rkhb is the standard chemical scout vehicle ofthe BROM -2 family. Unlike the -a model, it is not fitted with thenormal 14 .5mm heavy machine, only a single 7.62mm mac hinegun in a reconfigured mo unting. It also has improvemen ts in theinternally carried sensors.

... A close-up view of the hull front of a BRDM·2Rkhb. The modified mantle!has a sma ll attachment which contains flare sti which launch · und stars·



cks so

to mark the detection of a chemically co ntaminated zone.

T A Soviet chemical scout platoon during field maneuvers wi th aBRDM·2Rkhb. There are 29 of these ve hicles in each Soviet motor rifledivision, although some divisions are now receiving the improved RKhM

vehicle, based on the 2S 1/MT·lBu tracked vehicle.



The most common va rieties of BROM-2 command vehicles are turretless.This command vehicle in Israeli service appears to have been a local conversionof a normal turreted BROM-2, not a standard Soviet type. (Chris topher Foss )

This East German BROM-2U is a typical type of command vehicle of this

fam il y. Aside from the lack of a turret, it is easily distinguished by the two radioantenna fittings On the upper hull sides.

The BROM-2 is widely used as the bas is for command and radio vehicles.This partially Polish version retains the normal turret, but has a less commonan tenna fitting on the left hull side.

An overhead view of an East German BROM-2U command vehicle

showing the hatch layout. This is from the second production series of BROM-2s,evident from the type of engine hatch covers.



The BTR-40 was developed immediately after the war to replace lendlea se M3A 1 Scou t Cars. The Soviets used it as a cross between a sco ut vehicle

and an armored transporter. This particu lar example is in Afghan service in the1970s. Notice the continued use of World War 1 Austrian he lmets, supplied tothe Afghans in the 1930s by Czechoslovakia.

A BTR-40 currently preserved al the Polish Armed Forces Museum in

Warsaw. The original production modelsof

the BTR-40 were open-topped, andso often fiued with a canvas top during poor weather.

The BTR-40 was not entirely success ful either as a seou l vehicle or as atran sporter. It was eventually rep laced by the BROM-l in the scou t role.

However, it continued to be used inlO the 19705 as a general purpose armoredvehicle.

Rear-view of a late-production BTR-40 showing the stowage racks fiued tothe hull rear. The vehicle had firing ports on Ihe hull sides to permit the troops

inside to fire from within the vehicle- a characteri sticof

most Soviet wheeledarmored vehicles.



A view of the driver's compartment of the 8TR-40. Usually, the section

commander sat in the right seal.

A yjew1 BTR-40

, looking forward. Again, the bulkof

the stowage racks are configured for ammunition stowage.

An interior view of a BTR·40 looking forwards towards the driver's station.

The racks to the left of the photo are for ammunition stowage.

A view towardswas four so ldiers, but it could be more.



An overhead view of a BTR·40 currently preserved in the Budge Collection

in Britain. This vehicle was ex·lsraeli (and originally Egyptian), hence the

uncharacteristic side stowage harnesses and Browning M2 machine gun.

The BTR·40A was a fire-support version of the BTR-40 series, armed with

a twin 14.Smm heavy machine gun mounting. Often mistakenly described as an

anti·aircraft vehicle, in fact it was intended to provide both air defense and

ground fire support for scout units. This vehicle was used in combat by the Pathetlao during the fighting in Indochina in the 19605.

With the advent of the BRDM·2, the East German NVA converted a number

of their obsolete BTR·40 vehicles to tank destroyers, using the 9M 14M Malyutka(AT·3 Sagger) missile.

The BTR·152 was the firs t post·war Soviet armored infantry transporter,

entering service in 1950. It was basically a ZiS- I SI truck with an armored body.It can be distinguished from later models by the standard truck wheel hub .

..... The BTR · 152 V was the first version of the BTR· 152 family tohave a tire-pressure regulation system. This allowed the driver to



.... ._ . _..._ .. 4 . - 4 " " " ' · " *- ..... ..,.

. . ' _ J'...c.

-. .-

.. ..

red uce the tire pressure in soft ground or snow to improve tractionand floatat ion . Thi s is a BTR-152V of the Egyptian Army,aba ndoned in the Snai durin g the 1967 war with Israe l .

... A Sov iet motor rifle co mpany on maneuvers in the 1960s. In195 6-57, the Soviet Army beg an to mec hani ze its rifle div ision s,

which were then deS ignated motor ri fle divisions. Th ese

BTR -152V2s were the principal armored tra nsporters in the motorrifle reg iment s until the advent of the BTR-60 famil y in the 196 0s .

..... T A BTR· 152Vl of the Afghan Army in the late 19 70 's before theSov iet in vas ion. It is arm ed with a 12.7mm DShk heavy ma chinegun on a tripod mount. The BTR -152V l was a modernized

BTR-152 us ing an improved intern al tire pressure regulation systemwhi ch didn 't need the ex tern al hoses of the BTR-152V. Th eBTR-1 52 and BTR . 152 V were later fitted with thi s system,becom in g the BTR· 152 V2 and BTR-152 V3 respecti ve ly.

.... A pair of BTR- 1S2V1 armored transporters of the Syrian in the

typical camouflage pattern of the 1973 war, sand over the normal



" .

Sov iet dark green. The BTR-152 could be armed w ith a variety of

weapons, a 7.62mm SMGB was a common se lection

....... An interior view of the BTR- 1S2Vl, looking forward towards

the driver 's station. Usually the section commander sat in the righ t

seal.

... An overhead shot looking in to the rear compartment of aBT R-t S2Vl. Notice that there are four different sockets around the

figh ti ng compartmen t where machine guns can be fitted. Thisvehicle is currently prese rved in the Budge Collection i(l Bri tain.



·<IfIII An overhead view looking into the troop compartment of a BTR·152Vl.Thi s vehicle could ca rry a full infantry section of 17 so ldiers, plus the two man

crew

...... A view of the left side of the BTR·152VI fighting comp..lnmenl.

• A view of the right side of the BTR· 152VI fighting compartment.

<lflii A closeup of an Ea st German BTR·1 52Vl showing the modified wheel hubof Ih

e ·V I variant. Noticethe

pol forthe

radio antenna.The

ant

enna

is notattached in this view.

<Ill A view of the driving compartment of the BTR · 152V. Thedevice in the center behind the gear levers is the tire pressure



adjustment knobs. The equipme"t in front of the right seat is thevehi cle's radio transce iver/receiver.

<Ill T In the 1960s, some BTR· 152V ls we re rebuilt with fullarmored protection as the BTR-152K like this East German pair.Although thi s provided additional co ver for the infantry section, ittaxed an already overloaded cha ssis.

.. . As more STR·6Os became ava ilable in the 19705, man y of theBTR

· 152 Ks were retired from frontline motor rifle serv ice, andco nverted into ambulances, like this Ea st German example.



A BTR-40 and BTR - 152VI currentl y preserved at the Polish Armed Forces

Mu seum , in Warsaw.

A Sy rian BRDM-2 scout vehicle knocked out during the fighting on the GolanHeights in the 19 73 war. It is in the camouflage typical of thi s war .

A Sy rian Army BTR-1 52V I armored transporter near Saida, Lebanon in

March 1978 following the Sy rian intervention to interrupt the Lebanese civil war.

The Arabic number on the hull side is 3 5 . The BTR -152, al though obsolete

in the Warsaw Pact at this time, was still in widespread use by Soviet clientstates.

A Syrian 9P122 tank destroye r knocked out by Israeli forces in the fighting

on the Golan Heights in 1973. The missile launcher rack is elevated, and notice

that the combat missiles are painted olive drab, not silver. The si lver missiles arepeacetime practice missiles.



A BTR ·60PB infantry transpo rterof

the Finnish Army. (Yves Oebay)

BTR·60PB infantry transpo rters of the Finnish Army. (Yves Oebay)



•



A Sy rian BTR -60PU command ve hicle knocked Qut on the Golan Heights in

the 1973 war . This is a somewhat unusual command vers ion, having addi tionalradios, but not the usual elevating antennas.

•

Another view of a pai r of BTR-GOPB knocked ou t near Sal inas airfield during

the fighting on Grenada in 1983.

A pair of STR -GOPBs of the Ca lvigny Mechanized Platoon, knocked out near

the Salinas airfield by the 82nd Ai rborne Division during fighting on Grenadain 1983

A 8TR-60PU command vehicle of the Finnish Army during TUISKU 87. (YvesDebay)



;:;;;;;;;;;;;;;, v.!hIeles were mao,ufacturedunder the designations STR ·IS2B, BTR·1521 and BTR· 152S. This particular

vehicle is marked with red bands wi th whi le !tim, the sign ificance of which isnol certain.

One of the more unusual conversion of the BTR-152 series is thisSudanesecombination of an American M167Al Vulcan 20mm anti-aircraft gun on aBTR·152V l chassis. The Sudanese Army had hoped to purchase the tracked

M 163 VADS in 1980, but when this fell through, they bought the less expensivetowed version instead and in sta lled it themselves on old BTR -152 chassis.

The BTR·152Vl remained in front-line service w ith the Afghan Army we llinto the 19605. This particular example was captured by the mujahideen in the

late 1980s. II is unusual in that it is filled wi th a Czechoslovak M53 quad12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun mount for convoy securi ty duty. (David Isby)

Wi th the advent of the much improved BTR ·60, many older BTR · 152s were

configured for support roles. This BTR · 152Vl is fitted wi th a rack for holding 120mines. It was captured from a Syrian engineer unit in the 1973 war with Israel.



The BTR·60P was followed by the BTR·60PA in 1963. Th is ve rsion wasfull y armored and can be distingui shed by the lack of side doors as found in theBTR·60P.

A side view of a BTR·60PA. The ma in problem with the BTR·60PA was thai

troop access was very difficult and the ex ternal machine guns were completelyunprotected from enemy fi re .

A rea r, overhead view o f the BTR·60PA. Th is vehicle was not part icularly

successful and wa s in prooud

ion fo r only one yea r be fore replaced by theBTR60PB .

• ... Although the BTR -60PA was not popular in the Soviet Army, some of theve hicles were turned over to the KGB's Border Guards who used them into the19705 for patrol duty in Ce ntral Asia and on the Chinese border.



.. . The STR-60PB entered production in 1964 and was the most successfulversion of the BTR·60 fami ly. It used a new lurret with 14 .Smm KPVT heavymachine gun. It also had side hatches added to make it easier for the sq uad toexit, though th is was by no means as easy as in comparable NATO vehicles of

the lime like the American M 11 3

......An upper rear view of the BTR -60PB in the original ve rsion . Note that onea rly production vehicles, the roof is entirely flat. On late production vehicles,

a periscope was fitted to the roof.

BTR«lPB CrOh-MClIon



I.DfMng control.2.1nfrared MIIrchllghl3.14.5mm KPVT heavymachine goo4.MlIn tUfTetS.FIring portJ

6.ExIt hatch

7.0bsEHvation port lor rIIIa squada.Alr titration 'y8 tam9.Englnel10.Hydrojet

II .SUlpenalon toralon bar12.Shockablorber13.Clutch1 .GearboxIS.TranImItsIon assemblyIS.OIIferentlai17'wlnch

IS.Water deflector ICreen

The BTR·60PB has been widely exported. Amongst the users wa s the

Imperial Iranian Army in the 1970's as seen here. The color scheme was anoverall sand with the nalional roundel in green, white and red .

This Iranian BTR-60PB wa s captured dur ing thewar with Iraq in the early 1980s. Both sides used theBTR -60PB .



• •••

". "- •-

. ....

4 •• .;.. •." .

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An Afghan STR -60PB in the late 1970s beforethe Soviet invasion. The BTR-60PB was probably themost common armored vehicle of the Afghan War,large numbers of Soviet and Afghan vehicles being

lost in road

side ambushes

.



. .An Afghan Army BTR·60PB captured by themujihadeen in the late 1980s. The main weakness of

the BTR ·60PB was its thin side armor whi ch wa s

vu lnerable to close-quarte r ambush, even with smallarms .

...... Thi s rear end view of an Iranian BTR ·60PBshow s the rear wa ter jet open. Thi s sys tem draws inwater from underneath the vehicle, and expells itthrough thi s port for propu lsion in water.

.... An East German BTR·60PB. This is a late

production vehicle with the perisc

ope added on theturret roof.



... The BTR ·60PB was not popular in the Warsaw Pact and bo th

Czechoslovakia and Poland use the OT·64 SKOT ins tead. Howeve r, it is thestandard infantry vehicle for other armies, such as Bulgaria as seen here.

<IIiI The BTR·60PB was widely used in the Angolan war, this particu lar examplebeing knocked out by the UN ITA res istance in 1988 during fighting wi th

Angolan and Cuban forces.

The BTR-60PB was used by the Soviet Naval Infantry as wellas the Ground Forces. These two BTR-GOPBs are coming ashorefrom landing ships dur ing exercises. Naval Infantry armoredveh icles often ca rry the Soviet naval ensign painted on their sides,



A Naval Infantry BTR-60PB command veh icle comes ashoreduring Sov iet naval exercises. This particular vehicle ha s addedantennas and an additional generator. The white markings oftensignify aggressor forces during Warsaw Pact wargame s.

in this case, on the side of the turret.

• ... During the fighting on Grenada in October 1983, the People'sRevolutionary Army of Grenada had two motor rifle platoon s, each with fourSTR-60PB and a 8ROM-2. The Calvigny Infantry 8aualion's platoon was led by



a Cuban officer, Capt. Sergio Grandales-Nolasco, who was killed when the unitattacked the US Ranger positions near the Salinas airport. This is one of theSTR·60PBs of this unit. (000)

Y Another view of a STR-60PB of the Calviny Infantry Batlalion knocked outin the fighting near the Salinas airport during the fighting on Grenada in 1983.(000)

III" This appears to be one of the BTR -60PBs of themolor rifle platoon of the St. George's InfantryBatlalion which laid siege to a Navy SEAL team at theGovernment House. These were eventually knocked



out with LAWs or by airstrikes. (000)

'Y A late-production BTR-60PB of the East GermanNVA. The panel under the bow of the vehicle is thewater deflector sc reen, used when the vehicle isswimming.

'YII'-An East German BTR-60PB. The adoption of theBTR-60PB marked a reduction in the size of the

standard Warsaw Pacl rifle squad, from the 17so ldiers typical in the 1950s to 8 so ldiers in the1960s.



An overhead view of a Finn ish BTR·60PB which clearly showsthe hatch arrangement of the vehicle. There are two hatches for thecrew at the front of the vehicle, and two rec tangular ha tches in the

middle of the roof for the rifle squad. (Kalevi Moi lanen)

An interesting night shot of an East German BTR·60PB whichshows some details of the BTR·60PB's suspension.

A Syrian BTR·60PB in the standard scheme of the 1973 war:medium green, sand and dark green. The BTR-60PB wa s the

standard infantry vehicle of the Syrian Army in the 1973 war.

----



A view looking up in lO the turret of a STR·60PB. The turret is actually 100

small for the gunner 10 sit inside it. Rather, he sits below ii, with only his headinside the turrel.

A view from the rear of the STR·60PB looking forward . In Ihis view, many

of the sea ls are mi ssing.

A view of the driver 's station in the STR·60PB. To the right is the gunner's

sea l for the 14 .5mm KPVT turrel.

A closeup of the exi t duel for the hydrojet system on the STR-60PB.

•



... The BTR -60PB is license manufac tured inRoman ia as the TAS-n. It has a number of smallchan ges, mos t noticeably to the turret.

... A close-up of the turret of a Romanian TAB-72,

showing the modified sigh ting sys tem on theRomanian vehicles.

. . A column of Rom an ian TAB-72s on parade inthe late 19705. In the late 1980's, the Romanian Army

sw itched from the star insign ia over to a roundel in

the national colors of blue, yellow and red.



... The BTR -60 forms the basis for many different types of Sovietcommunications and command vehicles, generica lly designated BTR -60PU. Themost common type has a t h l i n e anten na running around the left side of

the vehicle, and a telescoping Hawk Eye antenna on the roof. This is a Finni sh

BTR-60PB.

. . An East German signal s unit preparing the Hawk Eye antenna for erection.Note that the BTR -60PU in the background has already set up its antenna.

An East German NVA BTR -60PU with the Hawk Eye antenna folded andenclosed in a canvas protective cover.

•



A 8TR-60PB under a standard camouflage ne t, and its antenna in the fully

extended position.

Thi s is a BTR-60PU-12 of a Cuban air defense unit knocked out by UNITA

guerillas during the fighting in Angola in 1988. II does not have the usual

clothesline antenna, but the Hawk Eye antenna mounting is evident on the roof.

A frontal view of ano ther Cuban BTR -60PU-12 knocked out by UNITA in

Angola in 1988. One of the distinguishing features of the command vehicles are

air vent covers and antenna mountingson the hull side, not found on the normal

8TR-60PB troop transporter.

,



... The lV 19 armored command and recon

naissance vehicle is used by Soviet towed artilleryunits in place of the tracked IV12/MT·lBu vehicleused by se lf-propelled arti llery units. It uses a different

turret than the standard STR ·60PB, with special night

sights and observation devices und er armored covers.It is also fitted with a laser rangefinder.

... In the late 19705, the 8TR-60 PB was replaced on

the assembly line s by the BTR-70. Although similar ingeneral outline to the BTR -60PB , the BTR -70 has anumber of iml>ortant changes. It substituted diese lengines for gasoline engines, and has improved troop

exi t hatches, between the second and third wheels on

either side.

In thi s view of an East German BTR ·60PU, the Hawk Eye antenna is partlyextended. These vehicles are widely used by Ihe headquarters of mOlor rifle and

lank regiments.

•



... A view of the driver's station in the BTR·70. This is an Easl

German vehicle, as is evident from the driver 's uniform.

. . A close-up of th e driver's station in the BTR-70. When in

combat, the front hatches are shut and the driver uses theperiscopes instead.

... As in the case of the STR-60PS, the BTR-70 ha s a hydrojet system for

propulsion in water. The BTR-70 is squatter and beller proportioned than theSTR-60PS, though armor protection is essen tially similar. This is from the later

production batches, evident from the bumpers fitted on the upper hull corners.

... A platoon of Ea st German STR -70s in operation. The East German Army is

the only Warsaw Pact force to use the STR-lO in any significant numbers.Romania ha s begun the license production of a modified type.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

BTR-70 Crou-•• ctlon

I .Steerlng wheel2.lnfrared searchlight

3.14.5mmKPVT heavy machine gun



15

A view of the front compartment of the BTR -70 showing the

driver 's station and the right sea t for the squad commander.

14 13 12 11 10

4.Maln turret

5.Perlscopes6.Squad exit hatches7.Englnes

8.Radlator ventlator assembly9.Hydrojet10.CUlchIt .Gearbox

12.Suspenslon torsion bar13.Shock absort>er1 .Transmlsslon assemblyIS.Differentlal

iii> An Ea st German STR-70 during summer maneuvers. The use

of flag signals in the Warsaw Pact is common, to limit the amountof radio traffi c for security rea son s. This particular vehicle iscamouflaged by blothches of mud applied in the field by its troops.



iii> T During the Afghan War. Soviet troops often added an AGS-l 7Plamya grenade launcher on the roof of the STR-70' s turret foradded firepower . This photo reveals one of the problems wi th theBTR -70 in the hot climes of Afghanistan: the tendency of the engine

to overheat. As a result. the rea r engine grill s were often left open

..-<41A rear view of a Sov iet BTR -70. The original productionve rsions of the BTR-70 did not have the type of bumpers filled on

later vehicles .

<III A view of the interior of the BTR -70, showing the gunner. Thelarge wheel is for turret traverse. Traverse on the turret is entirelymanual, but is not difficult with one arm.



. . An overhead view of an East German BTR-70with its section disembarking. On the BTR-70, most ofthe squad exits from the side rather than thevu lnerable roof hatches.

...... A Soviet BTR-70 during the figh ting inAfghanistan. On the turret roof is a spare tire. Typical

of the use of BTRs there, the engine hatches are leftopen for beller engine cooling. (David Isby)

.... An overhead view of a BTR-70. The distinctivearmored covers over the engine are very ev ident in

this view.

•



. . . . A bow view of the STR ·70. It is easy 10 distinguish from theBTR-60PB by its sharper ang les, and the location of the swim

deflector plate on the top of the bow rather than underneath. Tilesmall hatch on the underside of the bow provides access to a power

operated winch.

A In the early 19805. the BTR-70 began to be replaced by theSTR-BO. The STR -70 and STR-80 are very similar in appearance

from the front. The main changes are in the engine area. This is a

Soviet STR-BO during the pull-out from Afghanistan in 1988.(SoVfOl0)

. . Another STR-BO during the Afghan withdrawal. One of the

easiest ways 10 distingui sh the STR -70 from the -80 is the distinctive

shape of the gun ports on the side of the hu ll . (Sovfoto)



STR·80s escort a convoy in Afghanistan. The lead vehicle is a STR·80MSradio vehicle with cloth es- line antennas. The STR·70 and STR·80 were widelyused in convoy escort duties as, unlike tracked vehicles, they could keep up with

the trucks.

A camouflaged STR·80 during trials at the Kubinka Proving Groundsoutside Moscow. Soviet vehicles are starting to use camouflage painting more

frequently than in the past, but so far with little regulation .

This overhead view of a STR·80 shows the distinctive features of the newmodel. The most important changes are in the rear hull configuration, which is

higher than on the STR·70. Note also that th e STR·80 ha s the late style turret with

smoke mortars and the high elevation gun mantle!.-----....,

Beginning in 1988, the Soviet Naval Infantry began to reequip with the

STR·80 in place of the older BTR·60PS .

•



..... This front view of a STR·80 shows seve ral of the characteristicdetails. The turret on the STR·80 uses a new trunnion mounting

which gives greater elevation for firing al enemy helicopters. As aresu lt, the sighting assembly is different than on the earlier turrets.

Some very late production STR ·70s had this turret, but w ithout therear smoke mortar array.

.... A close-up view showing detail sof the rear engine deck of the

BTR·BO. The STR ·BO uses a single diesel engine instead of theawkward twin engines of the BTR -60 and STR ·7Q families.

.. . A close-up of the turret of a BTR -aO. This view clearly shows

the roof mounted periscope found on turrets of Soviet STRs since

the late production BTR·60PB s. The insignia is the traditionalGuards emblem.



... The rear turret of the BTR-80 is fiued wit h a smoke grenademortar array . This view also gives a clear display of the specialsocke t mounts for the squad automatic rifles. These replaced verysimple firing ports on the BTR -lO

• 111> A close-up rea r view of the BTR -aO. This vehicle can be

distinguished from the BTR-lO by the rear roof profile. which ishorizontal. rather than ang led .

... A view of the rear of a BTR-ao. This vehicle has a hydrojetsystem essentially similar to the BTR-lO.



... This closeup view of the STR-80 shows the smoke grenadelaunchers on the turret rear and the ma chine gun guard whichprevents the turret machine guns from depressing far enough to hitthe rear of the vehicle

...... A front view of the BTR-BO. This view clearly shows therevised optical sight near the 14 .5 mm KPVT machine gun. Th isturret, minus the smoke grenades, has also been used on lateproduction BROM-2s.

.... A frontal view of the BTR-80. The firing ports on the side ofthe BTR-80 have been repositioned to facilitate firing the weapons

at targets towards the front of the vehicle.



The roof hatchesof the BTR-80 are differently configured thanon the BTR-70 . Although the squad can exit through these ha tches,as often as not, they use the more convenient hatches in the lowerhull.

A detail view over the rea r end of the vehicle showing themuffler exhaust covers and the armored doors over the rea r enginecompartment.

The roof over the rear troop compartment is slightly humpedto give the troops slightly better head room. However, the STR-80is very cramped inside.

A closeup of the engine covers on the BTR-80 . These ovalcovers al low air in, but are configured to prevent the seepage of

gaso line from Molotov cocktails into the eng ine compartment.

1:35 ern er esAiming lor Perfection. TOday 's mOdern armored lighting vehicles mOdeled in sUperb detail.Highty accurate, With the tatest in W8apo"s and equipment. Each vehicle has been thoroughlyresearched by some of fhe world 's leading authorities .



3506 T-aJ

"Steps Ahead ... Always'"

Soviet Wheeled Armored Vehicles

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