BTR-152
The BTR-152 is a six-wheeled Soviet armored personnel carrier (APC) built on the chassis and drive train of a ZIS-151 utility truck. It entered service with a number of Warsaw Pact member states beginning in 1950, and formed the mainstay of Soviet motor rifle battalions until the advent of the amphibious BTR-60 series during the 1960s. BTR stands for bronetransportyor (Russian: бронетранспортёр, БТР, lit. 'armoured carrier').
| BTR-152 | |
|---|---|
Former East German BTR-152 (SPW-152) at a public exhibit. | |
| Type | Armored personnel carrier |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 24 March 1950 – present |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | See Service History |
| Production history | |
| Designer | B. M. Fitterman |
| Designed | November 1946 – 1949 |
| Manufacturer | Automotive Factory No. 2 Zavod imeni Stalina (until 1956) Automotive Factory No. 2 Zavod imeni Likhacheva (from 1956 to 1962) |
| Unit cost | US$39,000 (export price to Iraq, 1964-1969) |
| Produced | 1950–1959 |
| No. built | around 15,000 |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 9.91 tonnes |
| Length | 6.55 m 6.83 m for BTR-152V |
| Width | 2.32 m |
| Height | 2.04 m (without the mg) 2.36 m (with the mg) 2.41 m (BTR-152V with the mg) |
| Crew | 2 (+18 passengers) |
| Armor | welded steel 15 mm front 9 mm sides and rear 10 mm roof 4 mm bottom |
Main armament | 7.62mm SGMB light machine gun (1,250 rounds) (12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 heavy machine gun (500 rounds) can be used instead) |
Secondary armament | 2×7.62mm SGMB light machine guns (1,250–1,750 rounds) on side pintel mounts (optional) |
| Engine | ZIS-123 6-cylinder in-line water-cooled petrol (for variants based on ZIS-151) ZIL-137K 6-cylinder in-line petrol (for variants based on ZIL-157) 110 hp (82 kW) at 3,000 rpm. (for variants based on ZIS-151) 107 hp (80 kW) (for variants based on ZIL-157) |
| Power/weight | 11.1 hp/tonne (8.3 kW/tonne) 10.8 hp/tonne (8.1 kW/tonne) for BTR-152V |
| Suspension | wheeled 6×6 front - 2 leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers. rear - equalising type with 2 leaf springs and torsion bars. |
| Ground clearance | 300 mm |
| Fuel capacity | 300 L (79 gal) |
Operational range | 650 km (404 miles) |
| Maximum speed | 75 km/h 65 km/h for BTR-152V |
BTR-152s were available in several marks, and were manufactured in large numbers for the Soviet military and export. Late production models utilized automotive components from the more reliable ZIL-157 truck. Three primary variants of the BTR-152 appeared between 1950 and 1959: the base armored personnel carrier with a single pintle-mounted 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun, an unarmed command vehicle with a higher roofline, and an anti-aircraft variant armed with a ZPU-2 mount. BTR-152s could carry a single infantry squad each, or specialist weapons teams along with their mortars and anti-tank equipment. In Soviet service, a number were also deployed as artillery tractors.