APC 3 BTR-3
The BTR-3 is a Ukrainian armored personnel carrier developed by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau. It is a further development of the BTR-80 armored personnel carrier.
It is designed to transport personnel of motorized infantry units and provide fire support in combat. The APC is used to equip units capable of conducting combat operations under various conditions, including the enemy's use of weapons of mass destruction.
Creation and production history
Development of the APC-3 began in 2000. The first Guardian BTR-3U was designed according to the specifications of the UAE company ADCOM to participate in the tender for the supply of APCs for the UAE Marine Corps. The first vehicle was made on the basis of the BTR-94, an upgrade of the BTR-80 armored personnel carrier developed by order of Jordan at the Kharkiv V.A. Malyshev Transport Machine Building Plant (KhZTM), the design bureau of the "65" department. The development of the BTR-3 design was completed in 2002. In addition to the KMDB, the State Research and Development Center for Artillery and Small Arms (Ukraine), ADCOM Manufacturing Company Ltd. WLL (UAE), Deutz AG (Germany), and Allison Transmission (United States). Ten enterprises of the Ukroboronprom Concern are involved in the production of the BTR-3.
12] On 16 August 2004, the "wheeled armoured personnel carrier design based on the BTR-80 prototype" was patented.
According to some reports, the production of bodies for the BTR-3 was at the Azovmash plant in Mariupol, Donetsk Region. There are allegations of production of BTR-3 bodies at the Lozova Forging-Mechanical Plant.
14] Subsequently, the production of the hulls was mastered at the Kiev armored vehicle plant (where the BTR-3 is assembled).
The BTR-3E has lower operating costs than the BTR-4, which in June 2014 amounted to about 5,000 hryvnia per month.
As of early 2015, Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises had mastered the production of 90% of components and components for the BTR-3. V. Lisitsa, director of the Kiev armored vehicle plant, said in an interview that after twelve months of intensive use in combat conditions, nearly 740 changes had been made to the design of the BTR-3 by early November 2015, as a result of which previous flaws had been eliminated and combat effectiveness and manufacturability had been improved (in particular, the location of welding seams had been changed). In addition, work began on a prototype BTR-3 with a German-made MAN engine.
In early November 2015, a framework agreement was signed at the Defense & Security Exhibition 2015 on the intention to begin production of the BTR-3E1 and its spare parts in Thailand.
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Design description
The BTR-3 has a layout similar to the Soviet BTR-70/80 with the control compartment in the front of the hull, the troop and combat compartment in the middle, and the power pack compartment in the rear of the vehicle.
The APC is able to cross water obstacles afloat. When afloat, it is propelled by a single water-jet propulsion installed in the rear part of the hull. To overcome a water obstacle the driver must not leave the vehicle but activate the water deflector and switch on the water pumps without getting out of the vehicle.
The standard crew of the BTR-3E1 consists of two men: a driver mechanic and a combat module operator. The troop compartment can accommodate up to eight personnel, who enter and exit the vehicle through the double doors on each side of the hull. The lower part of the door slides down to form a step, while the upper part opens to the side as the vehicle moves. There are also hatches on the roof.
The BTR-3E1 also has automatic fire-fighting equipment in the engine-transmission compartment and an air conditioning system.
Security
BTR-3E1 has differentiated anti-bullet armor and anti-shrapnel protection made of Kevlar type material. The armored hull is assembled by welding from rolled sheets of homogeneous armor steel. Most of the vertical armor plates of the BTR-3, except for the lower side and stern plates, are mounted at significant angles of inclination.
The armoured hull of BTR-3 has a streamlined shape similar to that of BTR-80 (to ensure waterborne movement), but there is an option to produce BTR-3 with 150 mm more height in the troop compartment
Mobility
The steering is equipped with power steering. To improve maneuverability, the four front wheels are equipped with steering wheels. The armored personnel carrier is equipped with a centralized tire pressure adjustment system, which allows the driver to quickly change the pressure to overcome difficult off-road terrain.
Engine and transmission
The BTR-3U "Guardian" is equipped with the Deutz BF6M1015 engine, rated at 326 hp and Allison MD3066 automatic transmission, or the UTD-20 engine, rated at 300 hp.
The latest version of the BTR-3E1 armored personnel carrier, is powered by a turbocharged MTU 6R106TD21 in-line six-cylinder, 7.2-liter, 325-hp diesel engine mated to an Allison 3200SP six-speed automatic transmission.
By early 2015, a variant of the BTR-3 was developed with a Ukrainian-made transmission.
Undercarriage
BTR-3E1 is equipped with bulletproof French Michelin tires. The tires are diagonal, tubeless, variable pressure, and sized 365/90 R18 or 335/80 R20.
Armament
The Guardian APC-3U is equipped with the KBA-105 "Shkval" combat module with the ZTM-1 30-mm automatic gun, a 7.62-mm KT-7.62 machine gun paired with it, two 9M113M "Konkurs-M" anti-tank missile launchers, and a 30-mm automatic grenade launcher. The fire control system is equipped with the OTP-20 sighting system, which is integrated with the guided missile firing control system and the SVU-500 dual-plane weapon stabilizer.
The BTR-3E1 is equipped with a single-seat BM-3M Sturm turret module with dual-plane stabilization of the armament unit, developed by the Morozov State Design Bureau under the leadership of M. D. Borisyuk. The module is equipped with a 30-mm ZTM-1 automatic gun (with 350 rounds of ammunition), a 7.62-mm KT-7.62 machine gun (with 2000 rounds of ammunition) and the Barrier anti-tank missile system with four rockets, with a 30-mm KBA-117 automatic grenade launcher mounted on the left side of the module.
The fire control system consists of the OTP-20 optical-electronic sighting system integrated with the Barrier anti-tank guided missile system and the SVU-500 weapons stabilizer in the vertical and horizontal planes, which allows firing on the move. On the turret, three pieces on each side, installed 81-mm smoke grenade launchers "Tucha", driven by an electric trigger.
Fire control system and sighting devices
The BTR-3E1 is equipped with the Trek-M optronic observation, targeting and fire control system (OLCS) manufactured by the Chernigov Radio Instrumentation Plant (CheZaRa)[24] The system provides observation and detection of ground targets and helicopters, targeting and remote armament control of the armored personnel carrier.
The commander has a separate Panorama-2P panoramic observation, target acquisition and target designation device, and a control console to provide duplicated control of the weaponry of the combat module through the gunner's sighting devices. The panoramic camera is able to rise up to 0.5 m above the turret to provide a circular view and is used by the commander to provide target designation to the gunner. The panoramic observation system is also produced on the CheZaRa."
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