Conceptually, the BTR-4 "Bucephalus," according to the destination combines function and armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles for fire support of infantry units on the battlefield. Structural differences BTR-4 is a layout decision to deploy troops in the rear of the hull with the ability to parachute through the back door under the guise of an armored personnel carrier.
BTR-4 Bucephalus – video
Armored personnel carrier BTR-4 is divided into three compartments: located in front of the driving compartment, which houses the working space commander and driver; aft is the troop compartment, which hosts jobs gunner weapons and seven marines; located in the middle of the engine-transmission unit with installed power unit. Branch control and troop compartment are interconnected by means of manhole-passage along starboard, which serves for evacuation of the crew and landing, as well as for carrying out maintenance work when the engine and transmission systems. If necessary, a combat troop compartment and BTR-4 without changing the layout solutions for the power plant and the transmission quickly transformed to create a wide family of combat vehicles.
On the basis of armored personnel carriers BTR-4 were developed and produced the following modifications:
BTR-4A with a fighting unit "Thunder" power plant with a diesel engine of the Italian firm «Iveco» capacity 430 HP. and transmission nodes Ukrainian development and manufacturing.
BTR-4B fighting module BM-7 "sail", power plant with a diesel engine of the German company «Deutz» capacity 442 HP. and automatic transmission of the American company «Allison». The rest of the drivetrain components are interchangeable with those nodes BTR-4E. Set the wheels in the composition - tires 365 / 80R20 XZL French company «Michelin» with «Hutchinson» company drives.
BTR-4E with the combat module BM-7 "Sail", propulsion diesel engine with Ukrainian 3TD-3A power 500 HP. and transmission nodes Ukrainian development and manufacturing; Specially for BTR-4E has been designed and manufactured combat module BM-7 "Sail", which encompasses all the positive achievements previously manufactured weapon stations. heavily armed (30 mm automatic gun KBA-2, 30 mm automatic grenade launcher KBA-117, 7,62 mm machine gun 7.62 CT, ATRA Barrier), stable (Stabilizer SVU-500-4C) on two levels and equipped with a modern fire control system, can fire through the sights television with remote control, both places, and immediately, both day, and night. Fully firing can both gunner weapons, and the commander from his workplace. At the same time the commander in addition to your desk can observe the battlefield through a circular view panorama "Panorama-2P" "M-Track" system and provide target designation gunner firing on their own or, switching control arms at your workplace. Remotely controlled weapons module allows gunner to fire, while remaining within the BTR-4 hull.
BTR-4 with a fighting unit "BAU-23h2"
It is possible to equip the BTR-4 other combat units Ukrainian development, eg: "Thunder", "Squall", "Sturm" or BAU-23.
On the basis of BTR-4E created a whole family of armored vehicles, namely: command vehicle BTR-4K, command shtabnaya machine BTR-4KSH, Armored Recovery Vehicle BREM-4PM, armored medical vehicle BMM-4S. AT 2013 by SE "KMDB" developed and presented a new modification of the BTR-4B – BTR-4MV. The exact weight of the BTR-4 MB to be announced. stated, that it is 17,5 tonnes + 3% at standard bulletproof armor and reaches 21,9 t + 3% at the strengthened protivosnaryadnym reservations.
On the new Ukrainian BTR-4 MB installed German six-cylinder diesel power Deutz BF6M1015CP 450 HP. This power unit provides BTR-speed to 4 MB 110 km / h. Power reserve - 670 km. Basic performance characteristics generally coincide from BTR-4B. Furthermore, BTR-4 MB even after amplification booking retained buoyancy and can move in melting at a rate of up to 10 km / h. The number of foreign floating armored personnel carriers with a level of protection on the market is quite limited.
In the first half of July 2012 on the territory of the State of Kuwait took comparative test trials armored personnel carriers BTR-4B representatives of the Ministry of Defense of the State of Kuwait. Competitor of Ukrainian BTR-4B was - VBCI armored personnel carrier with the wheel formula 8x8 produced by the French company NEXTER. Tests were performed in severe climatic conditions at an ambient temperature of from + to + 48˚S 55˚S, in sunny dry weather with frequent winds of variable direction, accompanied by dust storms. During testing of the BTR-4B went 650 km, And about 50% in the desert, overcoming numerous sand dunes and depressions. Driving program BTR-4B performed to assess the – excellent, obstacle dunes and APC-4B overcome without remarks. Also, the BTR-4 had test fired from a 30-mm cannon and 7,62 mm machine gun, fulfilled smoke screen grenades 3D6.
He shot out of the BTR-4B good, The program will perform, I fit into the norm Ukrainian, accuracy was 0,3 (3 falling from 10 shots), denials of weapons systems was not found. Preliminary selection test trials in the amount of Kuwaiti claims program Ukrainian BTR-4B, I survived without comments. For Ukrainian BTR-4B in Kuwait following a preliminary screening everything went well. Even especially good against the background of concurrently executing the same program of the French armored VBCI. French armored vehicle VBCI harder by Ukrainian, more fashionable, with a fighting unit with a thermal imager, with hydropneumatic suspension, with brigade nemeryannom subservient – only 3 driver! The distance between the Ukrainian and French machines Kuwaitis were forced to constantly observe, communication between crews suppress. During the test otezdil French armored vehicle VBCI for evaluation – satisfactorily. During overcome obstacles armored vehicle VBCI dug in the sand, wide moat 2 m not able to overcome – stuck, but "dancing" on the suspension got.
Inside, the BTR-4 Bucephalus
The driver's seat of the BTR-4
The troop compartment BTR-4
For example Ukrainian BTR-4B easy to ditch speed flew. But when shooting, although the accuracy and amazing (accuracy 0,9), but the French thermal VBCI burned (matrix is not cooled, and were constant illumination), the French had to highlight the target machine maintenance. Kuwaitis made a preliminary conclusion, that the French car fastidious Ukrainian BTR-4B, Electronics in French VBCI constantly coming out with a failure, microclimate inside the French car is the same as in Ukrainian (also in French lacks air conditioning performance). In addition, during testing at the French VBCI made two – three approaches.
Comparative test trials armored personnel carriers BTR-4B show, Ukrainian armored personnel carrier that APC-4 has high performance characteristics, capable of being operated in different climatic zones, and the majority of the parameters are not inferior to the best world analogues, such as the French armored vehicle VBCI.
The performance characteristics of BTR-4E Bucephalus
Crew, pers.: 3
landing, pers.: 7
Manufacturer: HZTM
years of production: from 2008
Weight BTR-4 Bucephalus
– 21,9 tonnes
The dimensions of the BTR-4 Bucephalus
– body Length, mm: 7650
– housing width, mm: 2900
– Height, mm: 2860
– Clearance, mm: 460
Bumper BTR-4 BUTSEFAL
– Type broni: steel rolled homogeneous (bulletproof, Fragment)
The armament of the BTR-4 Bucephalus
– Caliber guns and stamp: 30-mm CBA-1 (2A72)
– gun type: nareznaya malokalibernaya avtomaticheskaya gun
– gun ammunition: 400
firing range, km
– BTS: 2,0
– BOTS and OFZS: 4,0
– PTUR: 5,0
– sights: optical-television system with a laser rangefinder and stabilization of the field of view in the vertical and horizontal planes,
– Shotgun: 1 × 7,62-mm CT
– Other weapons: ATGM "Barrier"; 1 × 30mm AGS-17
Engine BTR-4 Bucephalus
– engine's type: ZTD-3
– Engine power, l. from.: 500
The speed of the BTR-4 Bucephalus
– Road speed, kmh: 110
– Cruising on the highway, km: 690
– power density, l. p. / m: 20,2
– Kolёsnaya formula: 8 × 8
– suspension type: Individual torsion bar with hydraulic shock absorbers
– Gradeability, city.: 30
– to overcome the wall, m: 0,5
– trench, m: 2,0
– fording, m: It floats at up to 10 kmh
Photo BTR-4 Bucephalus