BTR-50P were seen on tractors with the letter V

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 car is still used by the military. What’s good about this car?

Let’s start with the fact that on February 23, a pair of BTR-50Ps were seen being transported on tractors with the letters v on the sides. Where and why they were taken is not known.

Why did the military need these armored vehicles? You can guess as much as you want. But this is a great opportunity to remember what the BTR-50P is capable of.

Leningrad VNII-100 in 1949 received the order to develop the 740 light amphibious tank (PT-76 it became) and the 750 amphibious armored personnel carrier (the hero of our material). Development was led by Nikolai Shashmurin.

The BTR-50P entered service in 1954. Czechoslovakia and China produced it under license.

The design of the armored vehicle made it possible to create several versions of it: with a habitable compartment roof, with protection against weapons of mass destruction, a command and staff vehicle, technical equipment, an all-terrain vehicle. And with different weapons, up to a 14.5 mm KPV machine gun, guns up to 85 mm caliber, a mortar up to 120 mm caliber or a recoilless gun.

The tracked amphibious armored car has a welded hull of steel armor with a thickness of 6 to 10–13 mm. It provides protection against bullets and fragmentation. The crew consists of two people and the number of paratroopers transported can be up to 20! The V-6PVG engine has an output of 240 hp. There are also two water jets.

At the same time, its mass reaches 14.4–14.5 tons, which allows the BTR-50P to accelerate to 45 km/h and swim at speeds of up to 10.5 km/h.

The BTR-50P is based on a very successful concept and many solutions have subsequently been applied in modern armored vehicles. Particularly in BTR-D and BT-3F.

Thanks to the tracked undercarriage, the car has a high off-road capability and mud or marshy coast cannot hold it back.

And today this armored personnel carrier can be easily upgraded.

The engine can be replaced with a more powerful one, which will improve the dynamics. ERA blocks can be easily installed on the armored hull, making it resistant to cannon hits. The spacious compartment easily fits all equipment and weapons – automatic grenade launchers, small-caliber guns or anti-tank missile systems, as well as remote-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 off-road vehicles can’t, well protected and well armed – modern technology allows you to do all of this quickly and cheaply.