Looking at the amazing characteristics of this armored vehicle, it is hard to believe that it is almost 70 years old.
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The BTR-50P was adopted by the USSR almost 70 years ago and remained in service for several decades. In a number of countries (about 15), the armored personnel carrier is still used by the military. What is good about this car?
Let’s start with the fact that on February 23, a pair of BTR-50Ps was seen during their transportation on tractors with the letters V on the sides. Where and why they were taken is unknown.
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Why did the military need these armored vehicles? You can guess as much as you want. But this is a great occasion to remember what the BTR-50P is capable of.
Leningrad VNII-100 received an order to develop the 740 light amphibious tank (PT-76 became it) and the 750 amphibious armored personnel carrier (the hero of our material) in 1949. The development was headed by Nikolai Shashmurin.
The BTR-50P was put into service in 1954. Czechoslovakia and China produced it under license.
The design of the armored vehicle made it possible to produce several versions of it: with a habitable compartment roof, with protection against weapons of mass destruction, a command and staff vehicle, engineering equipment, an all-terrain vehicle. And with different weapons, up to a 14.5 mm KPV machine gun, cannons up to 85 mm caliber, a mortar up to 120 mm caliber or a recoilless gun.
The amphibious tracked armored personnel carrier has a welded hull made of steel armor with a thickness of 6 to 10–13 mm. It provides bulletproof and fragmentation protection. The crew consists of two people, and the number of paratroopers transported can reach 20! The V-6PVG engine has a power of 240 hp. There are also two water jets.
At the same time, the mass reaches 14.4–14.5 tons. This allows the BTR-50P to accelerate to 45 km/h and swim at speeds up to 10.5 km/h.
The BTR-50P is based on a very successful concept, and many solutions were subsequently applied in modern armored vehicles. In particular, in BTR-D and BT-3F.
Thanks to the caterpillar undercarriage, the car has a high cross-country ability, and mud or marshy coast cannot stop it.
And today this armored personnel carrier can be easily upgraded.
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The engine can be replaced with a more powerful one, which will improve dynamics. ERA blocks are easily installed on the armored hull, thanks to which it can withstand hits from cannons. The spacious compartment will easily fit any equipment and weapons – automatic grenade launchers, small-caliber guns or anti-tank missile systems, as well as remotely controlled modules.
By the way, thanks to the new domestic development, the BTR-50P can be quickly turned into a drone.
The result is a formidable military vehicle that can go where other all-terrain vehicles cannot go, well-protected and well-armed – modern technology allows you to do all this quickly and inexpensively.
Photo: Alexey Stuzhin/TASS, Commons.wikimedia.org, T.me/ChDambiev
