The BTR-T is a Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n heavy infantry combat vehicle, designed by the Design Bureau of Transport Machine-Building (Omsk Transmash) state-run production association.

Description

It is based on the hull of the T-55

T-55

The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of...

 tank

Tank

A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

 and answers the need for a heavy, well protected and well armed vehicle adapted to urban combat. The need for a heavy IFV appeared after the First Chechen War

First Chechen War

The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...

 during which APCs such as the BTR-80

BTR-80

BTR-80 is an 8x8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed in the Soviet Union. Production started in 1986 and replaced the previous versions, BTR-60 and BTR-70 in the Soviet army. -Description:The Soviets based the BTR-80 on the BTR-70 APC...

 and BMP-2

BMP-2

The BMP-2 is a second-generation, amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following the BMP-1 of the 1960s....

 suffered heavy losses in urban areas at the hands of Chechen rebels using RPG shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons. As a result, the design incorporates thicker armour, with built-in reactive armour

Reactive armour

Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and specially hardened long rod penetrators...

. It also has heavier armament with sufficient elevation to engage targets in multi-story buildings.

Design

The choice of the T-55 hull rather than that of a more modern tank was decided as a cost-cutting measure and also probably in order to validate a conversion solution for the many T-55s in use around the world. However, no export contracts have been signed so far.

The turret can accommodate several weapon configurations:

• 2A42 30 mm autocannon.
  • 9M113 Konkurs
    AT-5 Spandrel
    The 9M113 Konkurs SACLOS wire-guided Anti-tank missile of the Soviet Union. "9M113" is the GRAU designation of the missile. Its NATO reporting name is AT-5 Spandrel.-Development:...
    
     ATGMs.
• 2A42 30 mm autocannon.
  • 30mm AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher
    AGS-17
    The AGS-17 Plamya is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher currently in production in the Russian Federation and in service worldwide.-Description:...
    
    .
• Twin 2A38 30 mm autocannons.
• 12.7x107mm NSV heavy machine gun.
  • 9M113 Konkurs
    AT-5 Spandrel
    The 9M113 Konkurs SACLOS wire-guided Anti-tank missile of the Soviet Union. "9M113" is the GRAU designation of the missile. Its NATO reporting name is AT-5 Spandrel.-Development:...
    
    ATGMs.
• 12.7x107mm NSV heavy machine gun.
  • 30 mm AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher.