Technology@war Soviet Btr-50 Tracked Armoured Personnel Carrier & Variants, (Paperback)

The BTR-50 was the first tracked armoured personnel carrier to be introduced into Soviet Army service. Based on the same chassis and mechanicals as the PT-76 amphibious reconnaissance tank, the BTR-50 was designed as an armoured personnel carrier and initially also as a portee vehicle for mounting and firing medium calibre divisional and anti-tank guns during assault operations. Changes in nuclear doctrine led to the originally open-roofed BTR-50P being replaced by the fully enclosed BTR-50PK, with the earlier portee gun role being dropped.<br><br>The BTR-50 family was however developed well beyond the standard armoured personnel carrier version, with the BTR-50PU series widely employed in Soviet Army service as a command vehicle and in other specialised versions including the MTP maintenance vehicle and the UR-67 mine-clearing system.<br><br>The BTR-50 was also the tracked personnel carrier on the basis of which the Soviet Army practiced combined arms tactics, providing the exercise and later combat experience that ultimately led to a new class of armoured fighting vehicle with the crew able to operate from within the vehicle before deploying on the ground - the BMP-1 mechanised infantry combat vehicle.<br><br>The BTR-50 series remained the mainstay Soviet tracked personnel carrrier until replaced in the late 1960s by the BMP-1. The BTR-50 was widely exported, and saw combat in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with surprisingly large numbers still in service today.<br><br>This book has been written and illustrated based on Russian and Ukrainian original sources.

• Technology@war Soviet Btr-50 Tracked Armoured Personnel Carrier & Variants, (Paperback)
• Author: Helion & Company
• ISBN: 9781806722976
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 2026-12-15
• Page Count: 104