Soviet armored personnel carrier 152-BTR: technical specifications

The problem of transporting personnel after the Great Patriotic War was deeply troubling to all Soviet design bureaus, and especially the High Command. Taking into account past experience it was obvious that the use of conventional trucks for this purpose is simply criminal, since any mine, raid of an enemy aircraft or even shelling from light weapons can send a whole branch to nonexistence. It was against this background that the first classic armored personnel carrier 152-BTR appeared.

Caterpillar or wheel?

And this question is far from idle even for today. Initially, our designers had no experience, the investigations were conducted in both directions. First, the apologists of caterpillars won: such cars bribed their cross-country ability, they could hang a lot of armor on them. But there were a few problems.

Firstly, the complexity of training mechanics-drivers for such equipment was high and little inferior to study for tankmen. The motorized infantry was a mass army, and training of such a number of high-quality specialists was difficult. In addition, the negative experience of the Great Patriotic War affected.

It's about logistics. Caterpillar armored vehicles, even according to preliminary calculations, had to consume at least 1/3 more fuel, and if you look at weapons with respect to the mass, even more. How to deliver such a diesel fuel in the conditions of a new big war?

In addition, wheeled vehicles are incomparably easier to operate, repair and manufacture, they have much more motor resources. Finally, such APCs are relatively easy to make floating, while with caterpillar technology such a feint is much harder to crank. The choice was made, and 152-BTR appeared.

Start of development

Already at the beginning of 1946, a ZIS-151 off-road vehicle was launched at the ZIS plant. Again, according to the experience of all previous years, the machine was originally made of a multi-profile, equally well-suited for use both in the national economy and in the armed forces. Soon the designers realized that absolutely universal is only in fairy tales and dreams, and therefore focused on research in the field of a purely army transporter, which received the index "Object-140".

The units from the standard ZIS were used. Also from it was borrowed and a frame, shortened by 385 mm. But the designers used the layout scheme with three axes. In contrast to the original model, both the elongated course of the suspension and the more powerful, elongated and reinforced springs were used.

Tire characteristics

Tires - with enlarged and powerful hooks, which provided increased patency practically on any types of soil, in any weather and climate conditions.

Tires were supposed to use only low pressure (4 kg / cm ³ ). For all bridges, a single track was used. Resistance to damage (including firing) designers originally planned to achieve, using a system with two cameras, and also installing a device for centralized inflation on the move. To 152-BTR could take troops from dangerous places with maximum speed, the engine of the engine was forced immediately to 118-122 liters. from. (But the guaranteed value did not exceed 110 hp).

Basic characteristics of the machine

The body is of a bearing type, welded from armor plates, the thickness of which is 6, 8, 10 and 13 mm. Due to the thoughtful and rational tilt of the frontal armor, the latter could "keep" hits of caliber 12.7 mm. The engine compartment is at the front of the machine, behind it is a control compartment. Like the BTR-40, the landing compartment of this device was located in the rear and was completely open from the top.

To protect the landing force from dust and atmospheric precipitation, a removable canvas awning was used. Landing and landing of troops was carried out through the doors in the back wall of the hull. In the front part there are two doors through which the driver and the shooter got into the car.

Self-defense means BTR

The front sheet of armor had built-in blinds, facilitating a secretive survey of the surroundings for the crew. Observation hatches in combat conditions were supposed to be covered with armored covers with inserts of tempered, bullet-proof glass. The staff of the self-defense weapon 152-BTR included the following: 7.62-mm SG-47 (machine gun of the Goryunov system), which was subsequently replaced by the SGM. In both cases, the volume of the cartload of ammunition exceeded one thousand cartridges.

The weapon could be fixed on one of the brackets that were available on each board (two pieces each). Also in the sides there were six round loopholes at once, using which the crew could fire from personal small arms. Relatively reliable and simple radio station 10-РТ-12 was responsible for communication.

Passage of state tests, conclusions on them

The first BTR-152, photos of which are in the article, went to trial in early 1947. At the same time, "machines" of three production series competed. The results of the tests confirmed the excellent prospects of the new armored personnel carrier. In particular, its patency was much higher than that of the GAZ-63. On the highway the car could accelerate immediately to 80-85 km / h. Three years later, the BTR-152 model completely passed all stages of testing, the machine was officially adopted by the Soviet Army.

Release and subsequent upgrades

They produced an armored personnel carrier at the ZIS plant. In general, all agreed on the opinion that the designers could create a fairly simple, but very reliable machine that fully met its purpose. Of course, there were some shortcomings in her. For example, its specific power was relatively weak, and passability (if you compare it with caterpillar machines) did not reach the ideal. But all this is trifles.

Subsequently, the BTR-152 was modernized, after which the cars received the B index. This variant was adopted in 1955, and at the same time it was launched into batch production. The main difference from the basic model was the units and aggregates from the ZIL-157 high-way truck, which by then was replaced by ZIL-151 on the factory assembly line. But the main innovation of this machine was the installation of an improved, "advanced" system of centralized inflation of air into the tires (12.00 x 18).

Passage and combat survivability of the armored personnel carrier were significantly increased. Finally, 152 APCs (Soviet armored personnel carriers) received a powerful winch for self-hauling, which greatly simplified the life of its mechanics-drivers. Modification B1, which appeared in 1957, also received a new version of the central tire inflation system, which was better protected from possible damage. Finally, the car received a new radio P-113, which was more reliable.

The latest modification

Approximately in the same period armored personnel carriers began to put night vision devices TVN-2, and in the compartment for landing finally there was a heating system, which was immediately appreciated by the soldiers of the Transbaikal Military District. In 1959, the Soviet serial BTR-152K comes into service, the huge differences being the presence of a normal armored roof and exhaust fan.

The presence of the roof very positively affected the safety of the landing force. In many respects, the use of such a constructive solution was due to the emergence of a nuclear weapon in the arsenal of the NATO bloc in various variations.

The most important changes in the last modification

Firstly, the height of the shell increased immediately by 300 mm. Throughout the length of the roof there was a hatch covered with armor plates. To make the massive lids easier to open, they articulated with the torsion bar. The spare door was located in the stern of the car, a spare wheel was attached to it. Above the driver's seat was a separate hatch, necessary for the installation of the night vision device TVN-2.

As in previous versions, the armored personnel carrier had four brackets for mounting machine guns, but these mounts were not installed along the sides of the hull, but directly on the roof. The role of weapons could be played by the models of the SGMB or PKT. The position of the machine gunner was directly above the control department. It should be noted that some of the armored personnel carriers in general were deprived of machine guns.

Unlike the previous variations, this military BTR-152 had no seats for the crew, mounted directly over the fuel tanks. Because of this, the number of paratroopers decreased, but the combat survivability of the machine increased significantly. In addition, innovations are reflected in the design of the engine, which received aluminum cylinder heads.

Creation of self-propelled machine guns

It was this model that was the first and last technique in the practice of the Soviet Army, on the basis of which specialized self-propelled machine guns were created. The first model, the BTR-152A (ZTPU-2), was launched in 1950, that is, almost simultaneously with the launch of the armored personnel carrier itself. Officially, this technique was adopted in 1951.

But in 1952, a real "monster" ZTPU-4 (two coupled CPVTs, totaling four barrels with a caliber of 14.5 mm) was released for state tests. The ammunition of this machine was 2000 shots. The firepower of the equipment was stunning, but because of the hand-guided mechanisms, which were very difficult to master, the installation did not cause much enthusiasm among the military.

This version was made in only a few copies, it was never accepted for arming the "spark". Much more successful was ZU-23 with a caliber of 23 mm, as well as a special control machine BTR-152U, the distinguishing feature of which was a body with a significantly increased height. This was done in order to fit in the internal volume of more equipment.

Today, BTR-152 with conservation are well-deservedly popular with wealthy collectors and fans of military equipment, and some make them special cars designed for hunting and fishing trips.