BTR-50

BTR-50
An Israeli-modified ex-Syrian or ex-Egyptian late-production model BTR-50PK APC at the Yad La-Shiryon Museum, Israel, 2005.
TypeAmphibious tracked armored personnel carrier
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1954–present
Used bySee Operators
Wars
Production history
Designed1952
Produced1954–1970 (also produced in Czechoslovakia until 1972; maybe still produced by some foreign companies)
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass14.5 tonnes
Length7,080 mm
Width3,140 mm
Height2,030 mm
Crew2 + 20 passengers

ArmorHomogeneous welded steel
13 mm front
10 mm sides
10 mm top
7 mm rear
Main
armament
None
BTR-50P & BTR-50PK: 7.62 mm SGMB medium machine gun (1,250 rounds)
BTR-50PA: 14.5 mm KPV heavy machine gun
EngineThe "V-6" 6-cylinder 4-stroke in line water-cooled diesel
240 hp (179 kW) at 1,800 rpm
Power/weight16.6 hp/t
Suspensiontorsion bar
Ground clearance370 mm
Fuel capacity400 l
Operational
range
400 km
Maximum speed 44 km/h (road)
11 km/h (water)

The BTR-50 (BTR stands for Bronetransporter (Russian: БТР, Бронетранспортер), literally "armored transporter") is a Soviet tracked amphibious armored personnel carrier (APC) based on the PT-76 light tank chassis.[3] The BTR-50 was developed in 1952 and entered service with the Soviet Army in 1954. It ceased production in the USSR in 1970, but production continued in Czechoslovakia until 1972 and there is suggestion that it still produced by some foreign companies. It has the ability to transport up to 20 fully equipped infantrymen, and can be armed with nothing, a 7.62 mm SGMB medium machine gun, or a 14.5 mm KPV heavy machine gun. It saw notable service in the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, and most recently in the Russo-Ukrainian War.

The BTR-50 shares similarities with two other APCs developed independently, the OT-62 TOPAS and the Type 77. While the OT-62 is an improved copy of the BTR-50 developed jointly by Czechoslovakia and Poland, the Type 77 is based on the Type 63 amphibious light tank developed by the People's Republic of China (PRC), which was developed from the PT-76.

  1. ^ Haryadi 2019, p. 437
  2. ^ a b Haryadi 2019, p. 450
  3. ^ "†" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 3, 2006.