BTR-4
Encyclopedia
The BTR-4 is a 8x8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...

) designed in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

 by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau
Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau
Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau , often simply called Morozov Design Bureau or abbreviated KMDB, is a state-owned company in Kharkiv, Ukraine, which designs armoured vehicles, including the T-80UD and T-84 main battle tanks, as well as military prime movers...

 (SOE KMDB) as a private venture. The prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...

, which was designed as a private venture, was unveiled at the Aviasvit 2006 exhibition held in Ukraine in June 2006.

Description

The layout of the BTR-4 represent a change compared to the older BTR-60
BTR-60
The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers. It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen first time in public in 1961...

/70/80 designed in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. The vehicle has a conventional layout similar to western designs like the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 TPz Fuchs with the driver's and commander's compartment at the front part of the hull, the engine and transmission compartment in the middle, and the troop compartment at the rear. The troops enter and leave the vehicle either through the rear doors or the roof hatches, and the driver and the commander are provided with doors located on the sides of the hull.

The vehicle can be armed according to customer requirements. The prototype is armed with the locally designed New Armament Module which is armed with one 30mm automatic cannon, 7.62mm coaxial machine-gun, up to four 9P135M Konkurs or Baryer Anti-tank missiles (two on each side of the turret), and one 30mm automatic grenade launcher
Grenade launcher
A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....

 (fitted in place of the AT missiles on one left-hand side of the turret). It can also be fitted with different turret weapons modules: the GROM module, SHKVAL module, and the BAU 23x2 module. There are also different designed versions such as the BRM-4K Reconnaissance vehicle, BTR-4K Command vehicle, BTR-4KSh command and staff vehicle, MOP-4K Fire support vehicle, BREM-4K repair and recovery vehicle, and the BSEM-4K recovery and medical vehicle.

The BTR-4 has a maximum speed of 110 km/h and can cross water obstacles at a speed of 10 km/h. The vehicle is powered by a 3TD diesel engine with 500 hp.

Weapons Modules

Standard module:

1x 30 mm automatic cannon, 1x 7.62 mm coaxial machinegun, and 2-4x 9P135M Konkurs or Baryer AT missiles (optional 30 mm Automatic grenade launcher with reduction to 2 AT missiles).

Crew of 3(driver, commander, gunner). Passengers: 8x Vehicle-borne troops or 7 vehicle-borne troops in up-armored version.

GROM module:

Armament:
1x 30 mm automatic cannon

1x 30 mm automatic Grenade launcher

1x 7.62 mm coaxial machinegun

4x 9P135M Konkurs or Baryer AT missiles

Capacity:
3x crewman(driver, commander, gunner)

8x Vehicle-borne troops

SHKVAL module:

Armament:
1x 30 mm automatic cannon

1x 7.62 mm coaxial machinegun

2-4x 9P135M Konkurs or Baryer AT missiles
(optional 30 mm automatic grenade launcher with reduction to two AT missiles)

Capacity:
3x crewman(driver, commander, gunner)

8x Vehicle-borne troops

BAU 23x2 module:

Armament:
2x 23x115mm
23x115mm
The 23x115 mm round is used by Soviet/Russian/CIS aircraft autocannon, most notably by the GSh-23L and GSh-6-23. Although the round has been superseded by the 30x165 mm round, the Russian Air Force still uses it in the GSh-23L and GSh-6-23...

automatic cannons

1x 7.62 mm coaxial machinegun

Capacity:
3x crewman(driver, commander, gunner)

8x Vehicle-borne troops

BTR-4KSh Command and Staff Vehicle:

Armament:
1x TKB-01-1 12.7 mm machine gun

Capacity:
7x crew(driver/electrician and mechanic, vehicle commander, commander, four officers)

MOP-4K Fire Support Vehicle:

Armament:
1x 120 mm cannon

1x 12.7 mm Anti-aircraft machine gun (turret ring mount)

Capacity:
unknown,
estimated 4(driver, commander, gunner, loader?)

Capabilities

The BTR-4 is a more flexible design than the older BTR-60/70/80s as the changed layout makes it easier to adapt the vehicle to specialized roles.

Operators

- The Iraqi Ministry of Defence has recently ordered 420 vehicles. - Ukraine's Ministry of Defence has ordered 10 vehicles that will enter service in 2009.

The Republic of Macedonia's armed forces has expressed interest in ordering 200 vehicles.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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