BTR 80 engine specifications. Armament of domestic armored personnel carriers. Increased patency through differential lock

In the first half of the 80s. the design bureau of the Gorky Automobile Plant, headed by the chief designer A. Masyagin, was developing a new armored personnel carrier GAZ-5903, which continued the design range of the BTR-60 - BTR-70. This armored personnel carrier was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1986 and in the same year was put into serial production at the Arzamas Machine-Building Plant under the designation BTR-80.

The BTR-80 was designed according to the same layout as its predecessors: in the front of the hull is the control compartment, behind it is the troop compartment, and in the aft part of the hull is the engine-transmission compartment.

Characteristics
Combat weight: 13.6 t
Crew: 3 people
Landing: 8 people

Dimensions:
Case length 7650 mm
Case width 2900 mm
Height 2350mm
Base 4400 mm
Track 2410 mm
Ground clearance 475 mm

Booking:
Armor type: rolled steel
Hull forehead: 10 mm/deg.
Hull board: 7-9 mm / deg.
Hull feed: 7 mm / deg.
Tower forehead: 7 mm / hail.
Turret side: 7 mm/deg.
Tower feed: 7 mm / deg.

Armament:
Sights: telescopic 1PZ-2
14.5 mm KPVT 500 rounds
7.62 mm PKT 2000 rounds

Engine:
Brand / type KAMAZ-7403 / diesel

Power: 260 HP
Maximum land speed: 80 km/h
Maximum speed afloat: 10 km/h
Power reserve: 600 km
Specific power: 19.1 l. s./t
Wheel formula 8 × 8
Suspension type: individual torsion bar with hydraulic shock absorbers

Obstacles:
Climbability: 30 degrees.
Climbing wall: 0.5 m
Ditch width: 2 m
Crossable ford: floats

Armored personnel carrier BTR-80

BTR-80 - Soviet armored personnel carrier. It was created in the early 1980s as a further development of the BTR-70 armored personnel carrier, taking into account the shortcomings of the latter identified in the Afghan war, and was intended to replace it in motorized rifle troops. The BTR-80 entered serial production in 1984, and, having been repeatedly upgraded, as of 2008 is still in production. The latest modifications of the BTR-80, equipped with enhanced weapons, are classified by many experts as wheeled infantry fighting vehicles. It was used by Soviet troops in the Afghan war, and since the 1990s it has been the main armored personnel carrier of the Armed Forces of Russia and a number of other former Soviet republics and has been used in almost all major armed conflicts in the post-Soviet space. Actively supplied and exported, in total, as of 2007, the BTR-80 is in service with approximately 26 states.

History of creation

By the beginning of the 1980s, the main armored personnel carrier of the USSR was the BTR-70 launched into mass production in 1976. The experience of their operation soon showed that despite considerable improvements compared to the earlier BTR-60, most of the main shortcomings of the predecessor passed to it almost unchanged. One of them was the relatively complex and unreliable design of the power plant from twin carburetor engines, which were also distinguished by increased fuel consumption and a number of other disadvantages compared to a diesel engine. An equally serious problem was the unsatisfactory landing and landing of the troops and crew, which only slightly improved compared to the BTR-60. Unsatisfactory, as shown by the Afghan war, remained the security of the machine. To all this, the BTR-70 had problems with a new design water-jet propulsion unit, which often clogged with algae, peat slurry and similar objects afloat.

To correct these shortcomings, the GAZ-5903 armored personnel carrier was designed at the design bureau of the Gorky Automobile Plant under the leadership of I. Mukhin and E. Murashkin in the early 1980s. While maintaining the same layout of the BTR-70, the new machine differed from it in a number of changes. Instead of a pair of carburetor engines, one diesel engine of greater power was installed; large double-leaf hatches were introduced in the sides of the hull for boarding and disembarking the crew. The hull itself is 115mm taller and longer, and 100mm wider, although the overall height of the machine has increased by only 30mm. Further development was the desire to provide the crew with the ability to fire from under the protection of the armor, for which the shooting ports in the sides of the hull were replaced by ball mounts deployed towards the front hemisphere. Armored personnel carrier armor was only slightly increased, but even so, the mass of the GAZ-5903 increased by 18% compared to the BTR-70, from 11.5 to 13.6 tons, although the mobility of the vehicle as a whole remained unchanged, and the cruising range only increased. After successful state tests, the GAZ-5903 was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1986 under the designation BTR-80.

Design Description

The BTR-80 has a layout with the location of the control compartment in the frontal, combined landing and combat - in the middle, and the engine-transmission compartment - in the aft part of the vehicle. The regular crew of the BTR-80 consists of two people, the commander of the vehicle and the driver, in addition to them, the armored personnel carrier can carry 8 troops, one of which also serves as a tower shooter.

Armored corps and turret

BTR-80 has poorly differentiated bulletproof armor protection. The armored body of the conveyor is assembled by welding from rolled sheets of homogeneous armored steel with a thickness of 5 to 9 mm. Most of the BTR-80 vertical armor sheets, with the exception of the lower side and aft ones, are installed with significant angles of inclination. The armored hull of all BTR-80s has a streamlined shape, which increases its waterworthiness and is equipped with a folding wave-reflecting shield that fits in the stowed position on the middle frontal hull sheet, thus slightly increasing its protection.

In the frontal part of the hull there is a control compartment, in which, on the left and right, respectively, are the driver and commander of the armored personnel carrier. Behind him is the landing squad, combined with the combat one. Six paratroopers in the aft part of the troop compartment are located in it on two longitudinal plastic seats in the center, sitting facing the side. In the front, immediately behind the seats of the driver and commander, there are two single seats for the remaining members of the landing party, while the right seat is deployed along the vehicle to enable firing, and the left one, occupied by a member of the landing party, becomes a tower shooter in combat conditions , turned back to the board. Near the seats of all members of the landing force, except for the tower shooter, there are eight ball mounts on the sides with horizontal aiming angles from ± 15 to ± 25 ° for firing from personal weapons. Ball mounts are deployed in the direction of the front hemisphere, as a result of which the rear hemisphere is a dead zone for paratroopers, there is also a small dead zone in the front left. Also, two more hatches for shelling the upper hemisphere, without ball mounts, are available in the landing hatches in the roof.

The BTR-80, like its predecessors, has two rectangular landing hatches in the roof, but the main means of disembarkation and landing on it are large double-leaf side doors located immediately behind the turret. The upper cover of the side door folds forward along the vehicle, and the lower one opens down, becoming a step, which, unlike its predecessors, allowed the landing and disembarkation of troops from the BTR-80 on the move. The driver and commander, as in previous models of armored personnel carriers, have two individual semicircular hatches above their jobs. In addition, in the body of the BTR-80 there are a number of hatches and hatches that served to access the engine, transmission and winch units.

Means of observation and communication

The driver and commander of the BTR-80 in the daytime in non-combat conditions monitor the area through two hatches closed by windshields in the upper front armor plate of the hull. In combat conditions or when moving at night, they monitored the area through various types of periscope viewing devices. The driver on the vehicles of early releases had three TNPO-115 periscope viewing devices for viewing the front sector, on the vehicles of the subsequent series one more TNPO-115 was added to them in the left upper zygomatic armor plate of the hull. At night, the central of the forward-facing devices was replaced by a TVNE-4B periscopic binocular passive night vision device, which worked by enhancing natural light, or by illuminating the FG125 headlight with an infrared light filter. The field of view of the device was 36° horizontally, 33° vertically, and the range of vision under normal conditions was 60 meters with headlight illumination and 120 with natural illumination of 5 × 10−3 lux.

The main means of observation for the commander of the machine is a combined binocular periscopic electro-optical viewing device TKN-3 with day and passive night channels. TKN-3 had a magnification of 5× for the day and 4.2× for the night channel, with a field of view of 10° and 8°, respectively. The installation of the device allowed its rotation within ±50° horizontally and swing within −13…+33° in the vertical plane. An OU-3GA2M searchlight with a removable infrared light filter was connected to the device, which served for illumination in low natural light. The night vision range for TKN-3 was 300-400 meters. In addition to TKN-3, the commander has three TNPO-115 devices - two for viewing the front sector and one installed in the right upper zygomatic armor plate.
For a turret shooter, the main means of observing the terrain is the gun sight, in addition, he has periscope viewing devices: TNP-205, located on the left side of the turret and TNPT-1, installed on the roof of the turret and providing rear visibility. The landing force had two TNP-165A periscopic viewing devices installed in the roof of the hull behind the turret, at the seats of machine gunners, as well as four TNPO-115 devices installed in the upper side armor plates of the hull on both sides of the doors.
For external communications, the R-123M radio station was installed on the BTR-80 of early releases, which was replaced by more modern R-163 or R-173 on machines of later releases. For internal communication, the BTR-80 is equipped with an R-124 tank intercom for three subscribers - a commander, a driver and a turret gunner.

Engine

On the BTR-80, depending on the modification, KamAZ-740.3 or YaMZ-238M2 engines are installed.

Armament

The armament of the BTR-80 is a twin installation of a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun and a 7.62 mm PKT. The installation is placed on trunnions in the frontal part of the tower, its guidance in the vertical plane, within -4 ... + 60 °, is carried out manually using a screw mechanism, horizontal guidance is carried out by rotating the tower. The machine guns were aimed at the target using a 1PZ-2 periscopic monocular optical sight, which had a variable magnification of 1.2 × or 4 × with a field of view of 49 ° and 14 °, respectively, and provided fire from the KPVT at a distance of up to 2000 meters against ground targets and 1000 m against air targets, and from PKT - up to 1500 meters against ground targets. KPVT is designed to combat lightly armored and unarmored enemy vehicles, including low-flying air targets, and has an ammunition load of 500 rounds in 10 tapes, equipped with armor-piercing incendiary bullets B-32, armor-piercing tracer BZT, armor-piercing incendiary, with a tungsten carbide core, BST , incendiary ZP and incendiary instant action MDZ. The PKT is designed to destroy manpower and firepower of the enemy and has an ammunition load of 2000 rounds in 8 belts.

Modifications

BTR-80 - basic modification armed with a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun and a 7.62 mm PKT;
BTR-80K - commander's version of the BTR-80, with the preservation of weapons and additional communications and headquarters equipment;

BTR-80A - a modification armed with a 30-mm 2A72 automatic cannon and a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun installed in a new carriage-mounted turret. It is classified by many specialists as a wheeled infantry fighting vehicle;
BTR-80S - a variant of the BTR-80A for internal troops, equipped with a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun and a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun in a gun-mounted turret.

Vehicles based on the BTR-80:
BTR-80K: commander's armored personnel carrier. Equipped with additional communication equipment.
BTR-80M: with YaMZ-238 engine and KI-128 tires with increased bullet resistance.
BRVM-K: armored recovery vehicle.
BMM: armored vehicle for the evacuation of the wounded.
РХМ-4-01: armored vehicle for chemical and radiation reconnaissance.
2S23 "Nona-SVK": 120-mm self-propelled howitzer.

In the mid-1950s, it became clear that the classic three-axle chassis with solid axles and spring-balance suspension of the rear bogie as the basis for an armored personnel carrier had exhausted its capabilities. After mastering large-section tires with adjustable pressure, all other activities, except perhaps for work on self-locking cross-axle differentials, gave little. New, very high requirements for armored personnel carriers of the second post-war generation could only be implemented in fundamentally different, much more complex, but also more efficient schemes, solutions and specific units. These included: extended "tank" gauge; uniform or close to it arrangement of six or eight wheels on the base with four wheels driven; sharply increased total power of power units in order to obtain a specific power of the machine of at least 18 - 20 hp / t; multi-stage transmissions with large power ranges; self-locking cross-axle differentials; wheel gears that increase ground clearance up to 450 - 500 mm; independent suspension of all wheels with large strokes; hydraulic power steering; sealed brakes; closed hulls with smooth bottoms that can keep the car afloat; water movers; turret installation of light and heavy machine guns with the ability to conduct anti-aircraft fire; armored hulls with a large slope of thickened (up to 15 - 20 mm) frontal and side plates; anti-nuclear protection of the crew and troops; the possibility of air transportation.

Appendix to the magazine "MODEL CONSTRUCTION"

In the early 1980s, after successful factory and state tests for the armament of the Soviet Army, the BTR-80 armored personnel carrier was adopted, developed at the GAZ Design Bureau under the leadership of I.S. Mukhin and E.M. Murashkin. AMZ - Arzamas Machine-Building Plant was determined as the manufacturing enterprise. The first serial BTR-80 left the factory floor on February 24, 1984.

The BTR-80 (GAZ-5903) is a modernized version of its predecessor, the BTR-70 armored personnel carrier. The layout of the machine, the design of the hull, armament, chassis - have not undergone major changes. The dimensions of the car remained practically the same. By the way, when evaluating them, the correctness of the comparison is necessary. So, in some directories, the height of the BTR-70 is indicated as 2235 mm, and the BTR-80 - 2460 mm. In the first case, this is the height of the vehicle at full weight on the roof of the tower, in the second case, the height of an empty vehicle according to the TNPT-1 instrument. The height of the armored personnel carriers with a full weight according to the indicated observation device is 2320 and 2350 mm, respectively. The notable external differences of the BTR-80 include double doors for landing and disembarking troops in the sides of the hull and seven hatches with ball bearings for firing from personal weapons in its frontal and side sheets. The hatches above the troop compartment are also located differently, in the covers of which there are hatches for firing from machine guns at high targets.

All BTR-80 serial armored personnel carriers are equipped with the BPU-1 autonomous turret machine gun mount, designed to combat ground and low-flying air targets. The BPU-1 is equipped with a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun and a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun coaxial with it. The greatest effective range when firing from a KPVT machine gun at ground targets is 2000 m, from PKT - 1500 m, at air from KPVT - 1000 m. 8 boxes. Pointing machine guns vertically is possible in the range from -4° to +60°, horizontally - 360°. Guidance mechanisms - manual. For firing, the 1PZ-2 sight is used, which ensures the defeat of both ground and air targets. To the left of the sight, in the wall of the turret machine-gun mount, there is a TNP-205 observation device, and in the roof - a TNPT-1 device, designed to monitor the road and terrain located in the rear viewing sector by the turret gunner. On the aft wall of the tower there are 6 launchers ZD6 of the 902V Tucha system for launching 81-mm smoke grenades. Weight BPU-1 in running order is 540 kg.

The most important and fundamental changes in the design of the BTR-80 remained invisible to the eye. Unlike the BTR-70, on this machine the power plant consists of one diesel 8-cylinder V-shaped four-stroke liquid-cooled engine KamAZ-7403 with a turbocharger supercharged power of 260 hp. at 2600 rpm, working volume 10 850 cm 3 .

1 - wave-reflective shield; 2,11 and 12 - loopholes for firing from machine guns; 3 - inspection hatches for the commander and driver; 4 - covers of inspection hatches; 5 - socket of the observation device TKN-3; 6 - nests of the observation device TNPO-115; 7 - hatch tower installation; 8 and 9 - handrails; 10 - loophole for firing a machine gun; 13 - upper leaf of the side hatch door; 14 - HVU filter manhole cover; 15 and 20 - towing hooks; 16 and 18 - steps; 17 - lower leaf of the side hatch door; 19 - headlight guard; 21 - hatch cover for the issuance of the winch cable; 22 - front buffers

1 - rear light socket; 2 - air outlet protective shields; 3 - hatch tower installation; 4 - loophole for firing a machine gun: 5 and 6 - handrails; 7,9 and 11 - loopholes for firing from machine guns; 8 and 14 - steps; 10 - upper leaf of the side hatch door; 12 - lower leaf of the side hatch door; 13 - niche cover for batteries; 15 - output channel of reverse gear afloat; 16 - pin of the towing device; 17 - damper of the water-jet propulsion unit: 18 - visor of the outlet pipe of the bilge electric pump; 19 - fuel tank filler cap; 20 - rear buffer

The placement of one engine instead of two led to changes in the design of the transmission units. It includes a dry double disc clutch, a five-speed gearbox with synchronizers in 2, 3, 4 and 5 gears, a cardan drive. Instead of two transfer cases, one interaxle two-stage with differential distribution of torque to two streams (on the 1st - 3rd and on the 2nd - 4th axles) and a forced differential lock was installed. Locking devices provide downshifting and locking the center differential only when the front axles are on. In order to avoid damage when overloading the transmission elements (with a locked differential), there is a friction clutch in the transfer case - a limiting torque clutch. A power take-off box for a jet propulsion unit and a winch is mounted on the transfer case. The main gears of the drive axles are with limited-slip cam differentials. Wheel reducers - single-stage, with helical spur gears. Wheels with split rims and tubeless bulletproof pneumatic tires KI-80 or KI-126 in sizes 13.00-18. Tire pressure is adjustable from 0.5 to 3 kg/cm2.

1 - console clamp; 2 - console; 3 - cover of the input window; 4 - sight; 5 - withdrawal spring of the KPVT reloading mechanism; 6 - observation device TNPT-1; 7 - roller; 8 - cable; 9 - launcher of the 902B system; 10 - cradle stopper bracket in the stowed position; 11 - spring; 12 - cradle stopper; 13 - sleeve link collector; 14 - handle buffer; 15 - handle of the KPVT reloading mechanism; 16 - link collector; 17 - mask seal plug; 18 - balancing mechanism; 19 - turning mechanism; 20 - flame arrester; 21 - cradle stop bar

CO-squad leader; MV - driver mechanic: CH - gunner-gunner BPU-1; SP - machine gunners with PC machine guns; SA - submachine gunners with AKMS submachine guns (AKS-74); SG - grenade launcher; PG - shooter-assistant grenade launcher; AA - loopholes for firing from an AKMS assault rifle (LKS-74); AP - loopholes for firing from a PK machine gun

Lever-torsion independent suspension, hydraulic, telescopic, double-acting shock absorbers, two each at the wheels of the 1st and 4th axles and one each at the wheels of the 2nd and 3rd axles, wheels of the 1st and 2nd axles - managed.

The power plant allows a combat vehicle weighing 13.6 tons to reach a maximum speed on the highway of at least 80 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 600 km.

Movement through the water is provided by the operation of a single-stage water-jet propulsion unit with a four-bladed impeller with a diameter of 425 mm. The exit window of the water jet when moving on land is closed by an armored damper. When moving through water, closing the damper directs water into the reverse channels. The maximum speed afloat is not less than 9 km/h. Power reserve afloat at average operating conditions of the engine (1800 - 2200 rpm) - 12 hours.

After a fire at the KamAZ engine plant in April 1993, an installation of a YaMZ-238M2 diesel engine with a power of 240 hp was developed on an armored personnel carrier, which had almost no effect on the mobility of the vehicle.

On machines of early releases, radio stations R-123M and TPU R-124 were installed, later replaced by R-163-50U and R-174.

In 1994, the armored personnel carrier BTR-80A (GAZ-59029) was adopted. Work on the creation of this machine was carried out by GAZ JSC under the leadership of A. Masyagin. The main difference between the new modification and the BTR-80 is the turret cannon-machine gun mount, designed to combat ground and low-flying air targets. The mount contains a 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon and a coaxial PKT machine gun. Vertical pointing angles from -5° to +70°. Ammunition - 300 shells and 2000 cartridges. All weapons are placed on a gun carriage, placed outside the habitable compartment, which reduces its gas contamination when firing. The BTR-80A is equipped with a 1PZ-9 day sight and a TPN-3-42 Kristall tank night sight, which allows hitting targets at a distance of up to 900 m at night. The combat weight of the vehicle has increased to 14.5 tons.

Simultaneously with the BTR-80A, the BTR-80S was developed - a variant for internal troops. Instead of a 30 mm cannon, it is equipped with a KPVT heavy machine gun. True, due to the lack of photographs of this combat vehicle, it is difficult to say whether it is mass-produced.

Since 1990, the self-propelled artillery gun (SAO) 2S23 "Nona-SVK" has been supplied to the troops.

The BTR-80 chassis was used as a base for its creation. The 120 mm 2A60 rifled gun is mounted in a conical welded aluminum alloy turret. The horizontal guidance angle is 70° (35° per side). Vertical guidance is possible in the range from -4 ° to + 80 °. Maximum rate of fire - 10 rds / min. Shooting from the SAO can only be carried out from a place both from closed firing positions and direct fire with 120-mm rounds with high-explosive fragmentation shells and 120-mm rounds with high-explosive fragmentation, lighting, smoke and incendiary mines. The maximum firing range of the ZVOF54 high-explosive fragmentation projectile is 8700 m, the high-explosive fragmentation mine is 7100 m. The machine gun is connected by a rod to the TKN-ZA device, which makes it possible to conduct aimed shooting by controlling fire from the turret. The machine is equipped with a smoke screen system 902V "Cloud".

As for other modifications of the BTR-80, first of all it is worth mentioning the commander's armored personnel carrier BTR-80K, designed for the commander of a motorized rifle battalion. There are three workplaces for the work of officers. The machine is equipped with two R-163-50U radio stations, an 11-m telescopic mast, TNA-4-6 navigation equipment with an indicator tablet, and two R-159 remote VHF radio stations.

The armored medical vehicle BMM-80 (GAZ-59039) "Symphony" deserves mention. In addition to the crew, it is possible to transport 7 wounded in the medical department and 2 on the roof on a stretcher. Depending on the composition of medical and sanitary equipment, the BMM can be used to evacuate the wounded from the battlefield (BMM-1), as a battalion first-aid post (BMM-2) and a mobile dressing room with a medical team and an auto-dressing complex AP-2 (BMM-3 ).

In addition, the BTR80KSh (GAZ-59032) command and control vehicle, the BREM-K (GAZ-59033) armored repair and recovery vehicle, the RHM-4 (RHM-4-01) radiation and chemical reconnaissance vehicle, unified chassis K1Sh1, short-wave radio station of the operational-tactical control level R-165B, mobile control posts PU-12M6 and PU-12M7 of the SAM battery, mobile command and observation post PKNP "Kushetka-B", satellite communication station and sound broadcasting station.

The armored personnel carriers BTR-80 began to enter service with the motorized rifle units of the Soviet Army, the marines of the Navy, the border and internal troops in the mid-1980s. For the first time at a military parade in Moscow, they were shown on November 7, 1987.

BTR-80s were used by Soviet troops in Afghanistan, were used in almost all "hot" spots in the territory and the CIS. Armored personnel carriers BTR-80 of various modifications are used by the Russian Army in Chechnya and Tajikistan. They were in service with the Russian contingents of UN forces in Bosnia and Kosovo.

BTR-80s are in service in almost all CIS countries, as well as in Estonia (20 units), Hungary (245), Turkey (100), Indonesia (12 BTR-80A), Bangladesh (78) and Sierra Leone. According to unverified data, 60 vehicles were delivered to Algeria and 10 to North Korea.

Steps to modernize the BTR-80 are also being taken abroad. In particular, in Ukraine, the BTR-94 armored personnel carrier is mass-produced (or converted from the BTR-80), armed with two 23-mm cannons (according to other sources, 14.5-mm KPVT machine guns) in the original turret installation. The armed forces of Ukraine received 90 such vehicles, another 50 were sold to Jordan in 2003. True, Jordan recently handed over all these armored personnel carriers to Iraq, possibly due to their low quality, which was reported in the press.

A more successful design turned out to be the Guardian armored personnel carrier - a version of the BTR-80, equipped with a Deutz BF6M1015 diesel engine with an HP 326 power. and automatic transmission Allison MD3066.

The vehicle has a Shkval combat module with a 30-mm 2A72 automatic cannon, a PKT machine gun, an AGS-17 Flame automatic grenade launcher, and two ATGMs. The Marine Corps of the United Arab Emirates received 90 such vehicles.

The BTR-80 is the latest serial version of a vast family of domestic armored personnel carriers. With regret, it must be admitted that little has changed in its design over the years since the creation of the BTR-60. After more than 40 years, the Russian Army receives a vehicle that is not much different from the BTR-60PB. Cardinal changes affected only the engine-transmission unit, everything else was modernized, of course, but, by and large, remained the same. The car, of course, is reliable, maneuverable, with excellent cross-country ability, and also floating.

But what most of all, according to the author, needed to be revised - the layout - remained unchanged. The so-called "active landing force", of course, has many advantages, but this arrangement is more suitable for an infantry fighting vehicle that has a slightly different range of tasks.

As follows from the Treaty on the Limitation of Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty), signed in Vienna in 1990, the term "armored personnel carrier" means "an armored combat vehicle designed and equipped to transport a combat infantry squad, which, as a rule, is armed with an integrated or standard installed weapons of caliber less than 20 mm. So - for transportation, and not for fighting without dismounting. The latter refers already to the term "infantry fighting vehicle", which "usually provides the landing force with the opportunity to fire from the vehicle under the cover of armor." But it is precisely the desire to provide this opportunity that is clearly seen in the design of the Soviet armored personnel carriers under consideration, reaching its apogee in the BTR-80 with ball mounts for firing automatic weapons, in addition, located in such a way that the fire is concentrated in the front hemisphere. When signing the CFE Treaty, the BTR-80 did not fall under the category of infantry fighting vehicles solely because of its weapons, the caliber of which was less than 20 mm, but the BTR-80A already falls.

BTR-80 - Soviet armored personnel carrier. It was created in the early 1980s as a further development of the BTR-70 armored personnel carrier, taking into account the shortcomings of the latter identified in the Afghan war, and was intended to replace it in motorized rifle troops. The BTR-80 entered serial production in 1984, and, having been repeatedly upgraded, as of 2008 is still in production. The latest modifications of the BTR-80, equipped with enhanced weapons, are classified by many experts as wheeled infantry fighting vehicles.

It was used by Soviet troops in the Afghan war, and since the 1990s it has been the main armored personnel carrier of the Armed Forces of Russia and a number of other former Soviet republics and has been used in almost all major armed conflicts in the post-Soviet space. Actively supplied and exported, in total, as of 2007, the BTR-80 is in service with approximately 26 states.

History of creation and production

By the beginning of the 1980s, the main armored personnel carrier of the USSR was put into mass production in 1976. BTR-70. The experience of their operation soon showed that despite considerable improvements compared to the earlier BTR-60, most of the main shortcomings of the predecessor passed to him almost unchanged. One of them was the relatively complex and unreliable design of the power plant from twin carburetor engines, which were also distinguished by increased fuel consumption and a number of other disadvantages compared to a diesel engine. An equally serious problem was the unsatisfactory landing and landing of the troops and crew, which only slightly improved compared to the BTR-60. Unsatisfactory, as shown by the Afghan war, remained the security of the machine. To all this, the BTR-70 had problems with a new design water-jet propulsion unit, which often clogged with algae, peat slurry and similar objects afloat.

The hull itself is 115mm taller and longer, and 100mm wider, although the overall height of the machine has increased by only 30mm. Further development was the desire to provide the crew with the ability to fire from under the protection of the armor, for which the shooting ports in the sides of the hull were replaced by ball mounts deployed towards the front hemisphere. Armored personnel carrier armor was only slightly increased, but even so, the mass of the GAZ-5903 increased by 18% compared to the BTR-70, from 11.5 to 13.6 tons, although the mobility of the vehicle as a whole remained unchanged, and the cruising range only increased. After successful state tests, the GAZ-5903 was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1986 under the designation BTR-80.

Modifications

BTR-80 - basic modification armed with a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun and a 7.62 mm PKT

BTR-80K - commander's version of the BTR-80, with the preservation of weapons and additional communications and headquarters equipment.

BTR-80A - a modification armed with a 30-mm 2A72 automatic cannon and a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun installed in a new carriage-mounted turret. Many experts classify it as a wheeled infantry fighting vehicle.

BTR-80S - a variant of the BTR-80A for internal troops, equipped with a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun and a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun in a gun-mounted turret.

BTR-80M - BTR-80A variant with YaMZ-238 engine (240 hp) and KI-128 tires with increased bullet resistance. It differs from its predecessors in the increased length of the hull.

BTR-82, BTR-82A - modification with a 300 hp engine. s., with a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun (BTR-82) or a 30 mm 2A72 rapid-fire cannon (BTR-82A) paired with a 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun, an electric drive and a digital two-plane weapon stabilizer, a combined all-day gunner's sight TKN-4GA with a stabilized field of view and a remote control channel for projectile detonation.
Increased survivability, cross-country ability, reliability and service life. Anti-fragmentation protection and air conditioning are also installed. According to experts, the combat effectiveness coefficient of the BTR-82 and BTR-82A has doubled compared to the BTR-80 and BTR-80A, respectively.

Design Description

The BTR-80 has a layout with the location of the control compartment in the frontal, combined landing and combat - in the middle, and the engine-transmission compartment - in the aft part of the vehicle. The regular crew of the BTR-80 consists of three people, a squad (vehicle) commander, a driver and a gunner, in addition to them, an armored personnel carrier can carry 7 motorized riflemen.

Armored corps and turret

Armament

Tactical and technical characteristics

Combat weight, t: 13.6

Crew, people: 3

Landing, pers.: 7

Booking

Armor type: rolled steel
- forehead of the hull, mm: 10
- side of the hull, mm: 7.9
- hull feed, mm: 7
- tower forehead, mm: 7
- side of the tower, mm: 7
- feed of the tower, mm: 7

Mobility

Engine type: KAMAZ 7403

Engine power, l. p.: 260

Speed, km/h:
- on the highway, km/h: 80
- cross-country: 40
- afloat: 9

Power reserve on the highway, km: 600

Wheel formula 8x8

Suspension type: individual torsion bar with hydraulic shock absorbers

Climbability, degrees: 30

Overcoming wall, m: 0.5

Crossable ditch, m: 2

By the mid-50s, the requirements for armored personnel carriers had increased significantly: they should not be inferior to tanks in terms of cross-country ability, which would allow motorized infantry not only to accompany tank units, but in some cases even go ahead of them. In many countries, such stringent requirements have led to a complete transition to tracked armored personnel carriers (for example, in the USA). However, the possibilities of wheeled armored vehicles have not yet been fully exhausted.

In the Soviet Union, a number of design teams undertook to solve this problem at the end of the 1950s on a competitive basis. As part of the competition, a ZIL-153 floating armored personnel carrier was created: with a 6x6 wheel arrangement, a fully enclosed body, torsion bar suspension, front and rear steered wheels. The movement afloat of this 10-ton machine was provided by a water jet propulsion.

A prototype of an armored personnel carrier was presented by Bryansk machine builders. This eight-wheeled combat vehicle, which was supposed to be armed with a 73-mm cannon, is often referred to as a wheeled infantry fighting vehicle. Its main features include a hydropneumatic suspension, which made it possible to change the ground clearance by more than 300 mm.

The most successful was the armored personnel carrier "49", created in the design bureau of GAZ. In 1959, the car was adopted by the Soviet Army, and in 1961, mass production of armored personnel carriers began, which received the army designation BTR-60P.

The body of the armored personnel carrier, open from above, was welded from rolled armor plates. To protect against atmospheric precipitation there was a tarpaulin awning. The 7.62 mm SGMB machine gun (1250 rounds of ammunition) was mounted on a machine mounted on brackets: in the stowed position - on the front sheet, in combat - on the side or front sheets.

The power plant included two 6-cylinder carburetor engines GAZ-40P, with a power of 90 hp, installed in parallel in the stern. Each of the engines drove two drive axles through its two-stage transfer case. All wheels were equipped with independent torsion bar suspension and tire pressure control system.

In 1963, a modernized BTR-60PA appeared with a fully sealed, top-closed hull with a capacity of 12 people. For the landing there were 4 upper hatches with armored covers. In 1965, improved power plant and power transmission units were used on the BTR-60PA-1.

In the same year, the BTR-60PB variant appeared. The main difference of the latter was a conical turret with a twin installation of 14.5 mm KPVT machine guns (500 rounds of ammunition) and 7.62 mm PKT (2000 rounds of ammunition). In addition, the BTR-60PB had new surveillance devices; was replaced by a more advanced number of power plant units. All vehicles of the BTR-60 series were equipped with R-113 or R-123 radios.

These armored personnel carriers were in service with the Soviet Army and the USSR Navy (marine infantry) for a long time. In a number of parts they can still be found today.

In 1972, the BTR-70 armored personnel carrier was created in the same design bureau; four years later, its serial production began.

The BTR-70 was a modernization of the BTR-60PB armored personnel carrier. Its main differences were as follows:

more powerful 8-cylinder carburetor (again) GAZ-66 engines with a power of 115 hp were installed. every; the placement of paratroopers has been changed, which turned around to face the sides, which allowed them to fire from their places; cut lower side hatches for landing; gas tanks are placed in isolated compartments; an automatic PPO system was installed; a separate brake drive was introduced, which provides independent braking of the first and third pairs of wheels from the second and fourth; a system for disconnecting the power transmission from the engine from the driver's seat was installed, which made it possible to work on a serviceable one in case of failure of one engine; two generators installed; the height of the machine has decreased by 185 mm. The armament remained the same as on the BTR-60PB.

BTR-80A

In front of the hull are the seats of the driver and commander, behind them are the seats of the paratrooper and gunner. In the troop compartment, parallel to the sides, there are two longitudinal seats for six paratroopers. There are 7 hatches closed with armored covers for personal shooting.

In addition to the main armament installed in the turret and the regular weapons of the motorized rifle squad, the BTR-70 carries in packs: two Kalashnikov assault rifles, two 9K34 Strela-3 portable air defense systems, one RPG-7 grenade launcher and five rounds for it, two automatic grenade launchers AGS-17 "Flame".

Movement afloat is carried out by a water jet propulsion. The R-123M radio station was mounted on the BTR-70.

The vehicles of the latest releases had turrets that allowed a large angle of vertical guidance of weapons. BTR-70 with such a tower took part in the parade on November 7, 1986 in Moscow.

Armored personnel carriers BTR-70 entered service with the Soviet Army, as well as the NNA of the GDR and the Afghan government troops. At present, these combat vehicles are part of the armies of almost all CIS countries.

Taking into account the experience of the combat use of wheeled armored personnel carriers in Afghanistan, the BTR-80 armored personnel carrier was developed. Since 1984, this combat vehicle has been mass-produced.

The overall layout of the BTR-80 is similar to its predecessor. The control compartment is located in front of the case. It houses the jobs of the commander of the machine and the driver. Vision devices were also installed here, providing observation and driving the car day and night, a panel of instrumentation, controls, a radio station, and an intercom device.

The power compartment is located in the rear of the hull and is isolated from the combat airtight partition. It houses an engine with a clutch and a gearbox, representing a single power unit, water and oil radiators, heat exchangers, a gearbox oil cooler, an engine preheater, a water jet, a bilge pump, a filter-ventilation unit, fuel tanks, generators and other equipment.

Engine - KAMAZ-7403, eight-cylinder, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, with a V-shaped arrangement of cylinders, turbocharged supercharging, 260 hp. (191 kW). The use of a highly economical diesel engine made it possible to increase the power reserve compared to the BTR-70 without actually increasing the volume of the main fuel tanks. There is no need for additional containers.

Ukrainian BTR-80

BTR-80A at the Nizhny Novgorod Fair

The higher engine torque made it possible to increase the average speed of the machine.

The designers took care of increasing the combat readiness of the armored personnel carrier in the cold season. Thus, at an ambient temperature of -5°C to -25°C, the engine is heated by a preheater using an electric torch device. The air is also heated by a torch of flame generated from combustion in the diesel fuel intake pipes during starter cranking and initial operation of the engine until it reaches a steady state.

When overcoming water obstacles, in order to prevent water from entering the engine, high air intake pipes are installed.

The use of one engine on the BTR-80 led to significant changes in the transmission. The mechanical force through a hydraulically actuated friction dry double-plate clutch is fed to a five-speed three-way gearbox. The second, third, fourth and fifth gears are equipped with synchronizers.

The torque from the gearbox through the intermediate cardan shaft is transmitted to the transfer box, which is made in two stages, with differential torque distribution into two streams: to the first - third and to the second - fourth axles. There is a forced locking of the center differential for difficult road conditions (moreover, downshifting and locking of the center differential occur only when the front axles are on). And in order to avoid damage when overloading the transmission elements (with a locked differential), there is a friction clutch in the transfer case - a limiting torque clutch.

Power is also taken from the transfer case for the jet propulsion and winch. The box has two brake mechanisms of the parking brake system of the transmission type.

The original design of the transfer case allows the BTR-80 to be used with minor changes in many components and parts of its predecessor, including drive axles, suspension, steering, service brakes, etc.

The high mobility of the BTR-80 is provided by a powerful engine, drive to all eight wheels, their independent torsion bar suspension, high ground clearance, a centralized tire pressure control system, thanks to which it is able to follow tanks, overcome trenches and trenches up to 2 m wide on the move.

The centralized tire pressure control system provides high off-road flotation comparable to tracked vehicles.

In addition, the BTR-80 can continue to move with a complete failure of one or even two wheels. The car will not be damaged when it hits an infantry mine, but even when it is detonated on an anti-tank mine, it retains mobility, since the energy of the explosion damages, as a rule, one of the eight wheels.

The fighting compartment is located in the turret and the middle part of the body of the armored personnel carrier. The standard armament of the vehicle is a 14.5 mm KPVT heavy machine gun and a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun coaxial with it. The turret also contains a day sight, two viewing devices and manual drives for guidance mechanisms in the horizontal and vertical planes. The gunner is on a hanging seat under the turret.

The effective range of firing at ground targets from the KPVT machine gun reaches 2000 m, from the PKT - 1500 m. Rate of fire KPVT-500-600 rds / min, PKT-700-800 rds / min, respectively, the ammunition load is 500 and 2000 rounds in tapes stacked in cartridge boxes.

The fire capabilities of the BTR-80 are enhanced due to the fact that the combat crew can fire from personal weapons directly from the vehicle. To this end, the armored personnel carrier is equipped with seven loopholes with ball bearings and observation devices along the sides of the hull for firing in the frontal and flank directions, and two on the roof for firing at high-lying targets. From two embrasures it is possible to fire from machine guns, and from two hatches located on the roof, throwing grenades, firing from hand grenade launchers and anti-aircraft missile systems of the "Strela" and "Igla" types. To set up smoke screens, there are six installations for launching ZD6 smoke grenades.

All conditions have been created for the crew and the landing force to carry out their combat missions. The hermetically sealed hull made of steel armor plates with differentiated tilt angles reliably protects the combat crew from 7.62 mm caliber bullets, shell fragments, and the frontal armor, due to its shape, also from 12.7 mm caliber bullets.

BTR-80 in Serbia, 1996

The filter-ventilation unit cleans the intake air from dust, radioactive and toxic substances and supplies it to the habitable compartment.

The crew and troops of the vehicle, thanks to the presence of four hatches located in the roof of the hull, as well as two double doors on the right and left sides of the vehicle, can quickly carry out both landing and disembarkation. The lower leaf of the door, when opened, forms a step, so that boarding and disembarking can be done on the move.

The armored personnel carrier is equipped with a R-123M VHF radio station for external communication and an R-124 intercom for internal communication. Recently, a more modern R-163 tank radio station and an R-174 intercom have been installed on the BTR-80.

Armored personnel carriers BTR-80 were actively used during the fighting in Afghanistan. Now they are in service with the Russian Army, the Internal Troops and the Marine Corps. The BTR-80 has gained a reputation as a high-class vehicle capable of effectively solving problems in any climatic and road conditions.

On the basis of the BTR-80, a whole range of vehicles for various purposes has been developed: the commander's armored personnel carrier BTR-80; self-propelled artillery gun 2S23 "Nona SVK", which has been supplied to the troops since 1990; armored repair and recovery vehicle BREM-K, put into service in early 1993, "reconnaissance chemical vehicle RHM-4; unified chassis for command and observation vehicles of commanders of artillery batteries and divisions.

The designers, taking into account many years of operating experience, as well as an ever-increasing range of tasks to be solved, developed and in 1994 put into production the BTR-80A armored personnel carrier.

The new combat vehicle retains all the best qualities of the BTR-80 - high mobility, cross-country ability, survivability and significantly increased firepower.

The vehicle is armed with a turret cannon-machine-gun mount designed to combat ground and low-flying air targets. It houses a 30-mm 2A72 automatic cannon and a coaxial 7.62-mm machine gun (PKT) with pointing angles of 360 ° horizontally and from -5 ° to + 70 ° vertically.

The gun and the machine gun coaxial with it are installed outside the turret, which made it possible to increase the volume of the turret space, increase the operator's convenience, reduce noise and eliminate gas contamination of the habitable compartments when firing.

The power supply of the gun and machine gun is from belt magazines attached to the bottom of the turret. Gun ammunition - 300 rounds (laid in 2 belts: one with high-explosive fragmentation incendiary (OFZ) and fragmentation tracer (OT), and the other with armor-piercing tracer (BT) shells). Machine gun ammunition - 2000 rounds in one tape. Cartridges with OFZ and OT shells are designed for shooting at ground and air targets, and cartridges with BT shells are designed for hitting armored targets and firing points.

Guidance of the gun and machine gun at the target is carried out with the help of day sight 1 PZ-9 and night TPNZ. The effective range of firing from a cannon during the day with a BT projectile is up to 2000 m, OFZ - up to 4000 m, at night - at least 800 m.

At the operator's workplace, there are controls for the mechanisms of reloading, descent, fuse, change of feed of the gun (OFZ or BT), locking devices, viewing devices. There is also a remote control here that allows you to set the rate of fire of the gun: single, small (200 rounds per minute) and large (at least 330 rounds per minute). Thus, depending on the operational situation, the nature and type of targets, the operator can choose the type of ammunition (OFZ or BT) and the firing mode.

The combat weight of the vehicle has increased slightly and is 14.5 tons. The height has increased to 2800 mm. All other characteristics remained the same as the BTR-80.

The performance characteristics of the armored personnel carrier BTR-80
Combat weight, t ................... 13.6
Crew, pers. ......................... 10
Overall dimensions, mm:
length....................... 7650
width....................... 2900
height.................. 2350
ground clearance...................... 475
Max. speed, km/h:
on the highway....................... 80
afloat..............................9
Power reserve:
on the highway, km ........................ 600
afloat....................... 12

Today, one of the most common types of military equipment in all the armies of the world are armored personnel carriers. But it was not always so. Their rapid development began after the end of World War II. The military realized how important it was to increase the mobility of the infantry and increase its security.

In the USSR in 1949, the BTR-40 was adopted, which was an almost exact copy of the American Scout Car M3A1 armored personnel carrier, supplied under Lend-Lease. Then, in 1950, the BTR-152 was released, and in 1959, the Soviet amphibious armored personnel carrier BTR-60 was adopted. It was equipped with two gasoline engines with two transmissions, and this car was not very reliable. And its firepower did not suit the military. In 1976, the BTR-70 was created, the armament of which was strengthened. A KPVT machine gun (14.5 mm) and a PKT machine gun were installed on it. This machine compares favorably with its predecessor, it also had two gasoline engines, but much more powerful than the BTR-60.

However, then the war in Afghanistan began and all the shortcomings of the BTR-70 immediately made themselves felt. Its main problem was the power plant, which was complex, not very reliable and consumed a large amount of fuel. We can say that the BTR-70 was generally poorly adapted to actions in mountainous areas. Even the machine gun mounted on it had a small elevation angle and could do little to help the fighters against the dushmans who had settled in the mountains.

It was very inconvenient to land from the car, and its security left much to be desired. The Gorky Automobile Plant begins the development of a new armored personnel carrier, which in the near future will be called the BTR-80.

The history of the creation of the BTR-80

The car received the factory designation GAZ-5903. The device of the machine is not fundamentally different from the BTR-70. The developers focused on improving the power plant of the machine. One reliable diesel engine was needed. The presence in the combat vehicle of two engines and transmissions at once gave certain advantages (if one engine was damaged, the armored personnel carrier could move with the help of another). But the complexity of the current maintenance and repair of a power plant with such a device reduced the positive qualities to almost nothing.

A diesel engine from a serial KamAZ vehicle was installed on the new car, which significantly reduced the cost of production and maintenance of new equipment. Thanks to the installation of a turbocharger, the BTR-80 could reach speeds 20 km / h higher than its predecessor.

On the BTR-80, new landing hatches were made, consisting of two wings. The armament remained the same, but the design of the tower was changed. The armored personnel carrier BTR-80 became two tons heavier than its predecessor, but thanks to the installation of a more powerful engine, this did not affect its maneuverability.

In 1986, the machine was put into service and it began to be mass-produced. To date, the BTR-80 is the main armored personnel carrier of the Russian army, as well as many other armies of the world. This machine is actively exported, the BTR-80 took part in many conflicts.

Dozens of the most diverse modifications of the BTR-80 have been created; machines for performing special functions are manufactured on its basis. The latest modifications of this machine are often equipped with an automatic cannon and anti-tank missile systems.

Description of BTR-80

The armored personnel carrier BTR-80 is designed to transport personnel and support them with fire on the battlefield. Although, the fire support function is more related to the infantry fighting vehicle.

The body of the vehicle is made of rolled armor plates. The body of the machine has a streamlined shape, which is necessary to give it buoyancy and to increase its protection. The thickness of the armor does not exceed 10 millimeters.

The BTR-80 is divided into several sections. Ahead is the control compartment, in which the place of the driver-mechanic and the commander of the vehicle is located. Surveillance devices (including night ones), control and measuring devices, a radio station and an intercom are also installed here.

Behind the control compartment is the combat compartment. It houses the operator-gunner and places for paratroopers (seven people). One infantryman sits next to the gunner facing in the direction of travel, and the rest are located facing the sides of the vehicle, three people on each side. The department has loopholes for the use of personal weapons. For firing from a machine gun, the gunner occupies a special hanging chair.

Also in the fighting compartment is a large landing hatch. It consisted of two wings: the upper part opened to the side, and the lower one fell and served as a convenient step when leaving the car.

The power compartment is located in the stern of the machine. It has a diesel engine with transmission, radiators, fuel and oil tanks, generators and other equipment.

The armament of the BTR-80 consists of a KPVT machine gun and a PKT machine gun, which are located in the turret of the vehicle. The KPVT machine gun has a caliber of 14.5 mm and can fight enemy manpower, light armored vehicles and low-flying air targets. The turret also houses the 1P3-2 sight and observation devices.

The BTR-80 is made according to the wheel formula 8 × 8, two front pairs of wheels are controlled. Suspension of the car is independent, torsion bar. Wheels - tubeless, bulletproof. There is a system that provides control of pressure in the wheels. The BTR-80 will continue to move even if two wheels fail.