BTR-152

BTR-152

BTR-152 in Yerevan, Armenia.
Type Armored personnel carrier
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In service 24 March 1950 - 1990s
Used by See Operators
Wars See Service History
Production history
Designer B. M. Fitterman
Designed November 1946 - 1949[1]
Manufacturer Automotive Factory No. 2 Zavod imeni Stalina (until 1956)[1]
Automotive Factory No. 2 Zavod imeni Likhacheva (from 1956 to 1962)[1]
Produced 1950 - 1962
Number built around 15,000
Variants See Variants
Specifications
Weight 9.91 tonnes[2]
Length 6.55 m
6.83 m for BTR-152V
Width 2.32 m
Height 2.04 m (without the mg)[2]
2.36 m (with the mg)[1]
2.41 m (BTR-152V with the mg)[1]
Crew 2 (+18 passengers)[3]
Armor welded steel[4]
15 mm front[2]
9 mm sides and rear[4]
10 mm roof[4]
4 mm bottom[4]
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)[2]
Secondary
armament
 2x7.62mm SGMB light machine guns (1,250-1,750 rounds) on side pintel mounts (optional)[2]
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)[5]
110 hp (82 kW) at 3,000 rpm. (for variants based on ZiS-151)
107 hp (80 kW) (for variants based on ZiL-157)[5]
Power/weight 11.1 hp/tonne (8.3 kW/tonne)
10.8 hp/tonne (8.1 kW/tonne) for BTR-152V[1]
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)[2]
Speed 75 km/h[6]
65 km/h for BTR-152V[1]

The BTR-152 (also known as BTR-140) was a non-amphibious Soviet wheeled armored personnel carrier (БТР, from Бронетранспортер/Bronetransporter, literally "armoured transporter") †) that entered Soviet service in 1950. By the early 1970s, it had been replaced in the infantry vehicle role by the BTR-60. However, it remained in service in the Soviet Army and the Russian Army until 1993 in a variety of other roles. It was also exported to many Third World countries.

History

Tanks are an essential element of armed maneuver warfare. Yet, even this high-value, powerful weapon remains vulnerable to infantry anti-tank tactics especially in urban or confined environments. Hence, infantry accompany tanks to assist in suppressing possible anti-tank action.

During the Second World War, the Soviet tacticians incorporated joint infantry and tank attacks against German forces, both serving in roles to protect the other. Performance was less than desirable as the infantry lacked the armored protection and rapid mobility of the tank, and thus unarmoured troops were vulnerable to enemy fire. This led to the employment of armoured infantry carriage vehicles known as APCs which overcame these shortcomings.(Perrett 1987:65)

After the war, the Soviet military analysed the high infantry casualty rate of combined infantry-tank attacks and concluded that the lack of APCs was a major cause. A remedy to this vulnerability in maneuver warfare was given high priority. The Soviet military industrial complex had Lend-Lease vehicles, such as the M3 Half-track and captured German Hanomag SdKfz 251s, to serve as references. (Perrett 1987:65)

The BTR-152 was one of the first Soviet armoured infantry vehicle after the Second World War. It was developed from November 1946 at ZiS plant by a team (it included K. M. Androsov, A. P. Petrenko, V. F. Rodionov and P. P. Chernyaev)[1] led by B. M. Fitterman. The first two prototypes were completed in May 1947 and were followed by three experimental series. The vehicle was adopted by the Soviet Army on 24 March 1950. The vehicle was based on the existing ZiS-151 truck chassis. Despite an improved engine, the addition of 5 tons of armour resulted in the vehicle having insufficient mobility.

Several upgraded versions, which later entered production, were designed by V. F. Rodionov and N. I. Orlov.[1] These rectified many problems, such as the open roof and the mobility issue. A central tire pressure regulation system was added to allow tire pressure to be adjusted to optimize traction in varying terrain.

BTR-152 production was stopped in 1962. Approximately 15,000 examples were built.

Description

BTR-152 APC in Yad La-Shiryon Museum, Latrun. 2005. A spare tire mounted on the rear of the vehicle is visible.

The BTR-152, based on a truck chassis, has the engine located in the front, the crew behind the engine, and an open-topped troop compartment in the rear. The vehicle has all-welded steel construction with sloped armour. The windscreen is protected by twin armoured shutters with integral vision blocks. Driver and commander enter and exit the vehicle via the doors on each side of the crew compartment. The upper part of the doors can be opened without opening the entire door, allowing both crew members a side view. Additionally, both driver and commander can view the battlefield using periscopes mounted over the doors. The vehicle's armour varies from 15 mm thick on the front to 9 mm thick on the sides, to just 4 mm thick on the floor. This provides modest protection from small arms fire and small shell fragments, but does nothing against larger artillery fragments or heavy machinegun fire. The BTR-152's tires are not protected by armour and are particularly vulnerable to puncture from gunfire of all kinds. The vehicle is sometimes fitted with a winch that has a maximum capacity of 5 tonnes and a 70 m cable.[2][4]

The BTR-152 can tow heavy guns, transport 1.9 tonnes of cargo, or a half platoon of infantry. In the APC role, infantrymen can fire their individual weapons from the relative protection of the vehicle, and can exit through the rear doors or by jumping over the sides.[1][4][7]

The troop compartment is open-topped, although later versions were enclosed. It can be covered with a tarpaulin to protect the transported cargo or troops from rain and snow; however, it would then be impossible for troops to disembark over the sides of the vehicle or mount any of the 7.62 mm SGMB medium machine guns. The transported troops sit on two wooden benches. Twin doors at the rear of the hull provide access to the compartment. There are three firing ports on each side of the hull, and a further two in the rear. The driver and gunner are the only ones that have overhead protection. The BTR-152K is the only APC variant to have an armoured roof over the troop compartment and an NBC protection system. All other BTR-152 variants lack NBC protection.

BTR-152 in Yad La-Shiryon Museum, Latrun, 2005.

The BTR-152 APC is armed with a single pintle-mounted 7.62 mm SGMB medium machine gun, which was a typical armament for APCs of its time. It can also mount a 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 heavy machinegun. The machinegun can traverse 45 degrees and elevate between -6 and +24 degrees.[4]

Because the original BTR-152 APC used components from the ZiS-151, it shared that truck's maintenance problems and poor cross-country mobility. Later variants, using ZiL-157 components, had more power and larger, single tires that reduced the vehicle's shortcomings but did not entirely eliminate them. Serviceability and reliability remained low.[7] The lack of an amphibious capability was also a significant weakness.

Armoured shutters controlled by the driver protect the radiator from hostile fire. Closing the shutters can result in sudden overheating of the engine during combat and can force the driver to reduce speed to avoid damaging the engine. The vehicle therefore becomes a slow, unmaneuverable target on the battlefield.[4]

Service history

The vehicle entered active service with the Soviet Army on 24 March 1950 and was first publicly shown during a parade in Moscow in 1951. It was phased out as an APC between the late 1960s and early 1970s and was replaced by the BTR-60. It remained in service with the Soviet Army and later post-soviet Russian Army until 1993 in a variety of roles, including command vehicles, mobile radio stations and ambulances. It was also exported to many Third World countries where some still remain in service.

The BTR-152 first saw combat use during Hungarian Revolution of 1956. They were later used during the Six Day War in 1967. Dozens of Egyptian and Syrian BTR-152 APCs were captured by the Israeli Army. A few saw combat during the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 by the Soviet Army and other Warsaw Pact armies. They also were used in a number of local conflicts in Africa, including the South African Border War and Zimbabwe's 1981 Entumbane Uprising.[8][9]

Variants

BTR-152V in Muzeum Wojska Polskiego, Warszawa-Czerniaków.

former Soviet Union

Two Soviet BTR-152V2s.

People's Republic of China

BTR-152 TCM-20 at Muzeyon Heyl ha-Avir, Hatzerim, Israel, 2006.

Egypt

former East Germany

BTR-152 converted into an ARV by Lebanese Militia next to a BTR-60 APC in Yad la-Shiryon Museum, Latrun, 2005.

Israel

Lebanon

Poland

Vietnam

Operators

Map with BTR-152 operators in blue and former operators in red

Current operators

Former Operators

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 softland
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "BTR-152 Armored Transporter". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 BTR-152
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Administrator. "BTR 152 [ZSRR] - Pancerni.net". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  5. 1 2 AMW - Agencja Mienia Wojskowego
  6. 1 2 Administrator. "BTR 152 [ZSRR]: Strona 2 - Pancerni.net". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 JED The Military Equipment Directory
  8. 1 2 Scholtz, Leopold (2013). The SADF in the Border War 1966-1989. Cape Town: Tafelberg. ISBN 978-0-624-05410-8.
  9. ↑ Stiff, Peter (2001), Warfare by other means. South Africa in the 1980s and 1990s., Alberton, South Africa: Galago, pp. 81–83
  10. 1 2 3 "-152 (BTR-152 armored personnel carrier) :: -. (r1a.ru)". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  11. ↑ BTR-152 armored personnel carrier
  12. ↑ Điểm qua một số chương trình nâng cấp vũ khí nổi bật của VN (P3) - 10. Nâng cấp xe thiết giáp BTR-152 Soha.vn (Vietnamese)
  13. ↑ Việt Nam nâng cấp thành công “ông già thép” BTR-152 Kienthuc.net.vn (Vietnamese)
  14. ↑ Nghiệm thu cải tiến, nâng cấp xe thiết giáp BTR-152 Quân Đội Nhân Dân (Vietnamese)
  15. ↑ Guy Martin. "Namibia Defence Force". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  16. ↑ "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
  17. ↑ Simon Baynham. Zimbabwe in transition (October 1992 ed.). Almqvist & Wiksell International. p. 240. ISBN 978-9122015086.
  18. ↑ Egyptian army armyrecognition.com
  19. ↑ Armia magazine issue 8/09
  20. ↑ Transportery opancerzone Milicji Obywatelskiej

See also

References

External links

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