BTR-40

Work on a light two-axle armoured personnel carrier began at the Gorky Automobile Plant’s experimental design bureau in 1947. Codenamed ‘Object 141’, the vehicle was intended to carry eight people. It was based on a shortened GAZ-63 truck chassis. The BTR-40 was adopted only on 16 November 1950, and series production continued until 1960.

The BTR-40 used a liquid-cooled GAZ-40 carburetted inline six-cylinder engine. Displacing 3,480 cc, it produced 78–80 hp at 3,400 rpm.

Hull armour was 11–15 mm at the front, 8–9 mm on the sides, 7 mm at the rear and just 4 mm on the floor.

Crew: 2; combat weight: 5.3 tonnes; maximum speed: 80 km/h; range: 285 km. Main armament: a 7.62 mm SGMB machine gun of the 1949 model. Ammunition: 1,250 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.