mored personnel carrier "BTR-70" entered service on August 21, 1971, and was first declassified in July 1977 during the "Karpaty" joint arms exercises.
Compared to its predecessor, the BTR-60PP, the BTR-70 received an improved chassis, including some significant modifications to its front end. Additionally, extra hatches were cut between the second and third wheels for quick dismounting of personnel. The engine and transmission compartment remained at the rear of the vehicle.
The power unit consisted of two gasoline engines with a combined output of 240 horsepower. The top speed on the highway was 80 km/h.
It is worth noting that the BTR-70 is a fully amphibious vehicle.It is propelled into the water by a single water jet located at the rear of the hull, and the speed of the armored vehicle when moving on the surface of the water reached 10 km/h.
The rotating turret was equipped with two machine guns, one 14.5 mm (KBVT) and the other 7.62 mm (PKT). The armored vehicle had a crew of two, and the number of mechanized infantry soldiers transported was seven.
The BTR-70 participated in numerous military conflicts. Its first hotspot was Afghanistan, followed by peacekeeping operations in the former Soviet Union and various other countries around the world.
The BTR-70 was widely used by the Soviet Army and its Warsaw Pact allies.After the collapse of the Soviet Union, several countries inherited them, such as Ukraine, which acquired more than a thousand vehicles.It has also been exported to many other countries around the world.
Among the armored personnel carriers used were some unusual models adapted to the field conditions of the battlefield. For example, Russian peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia mounted metal compartments on the roofs of armored vehicles, in which explosives experts sat, turning the vehicle into a bulky structure, but this helped in carrying out the mission and protecting personnel from mines.
