The BTR-D is a Soviet airborne multi-purpose tracked

armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

. It was introduced in 1974 and first seen by the West in 1979 during the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...

. BTR-D stands for ''Bronetransportyor Desanta'' (БТР-Д, Бронетранспортер Десанта, literally "Armored personnel carrier of the Airborne Forces"). It is based on the BMD-1 airborne IFV. NATO gave it the designation BMD M1979.

Development history

In 1969, the BMD-1 airborne IFV entered service with the

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

. The vehicle had many flaws, but the biggest one was that the troop compartment was extremely cramped and could only transport up to four infantrymen. This number was often reduced to three because it was impractical for four infantrymen to operate inside the troop compartment and dismount from the vehicle. At the beginning of the 1970s, the Volgograd Tractor Factory design bureau, who designed the BMD-1, began designing a new airborne APC based on the BMD-1. The prototype was completed in 1974. The same year it entered production and service with the Soviet Army as the BTR-D.

Description

Overview

While the BTR-D is based on the BMD-1, it is 60 mm longer and lacks a turret. Instead, it has a small flat superstructure with a hatch on top.

Crew

The crew consists of the driver, the commander and the left bow mounted machine gun gunner, all of whom are in the same positions and have the same equipment as in the BMD-1.

Armament

The turret with all of the main armament was removed. The two bow mounted machine guns were retained. The original PKT tank machine guns were replaced by PKB general purpose machine guns. The vehicle can also be fitted with pintle-mounted automatic grenade launchers ( AGS-17, AGS-30 or AGS-57) and/or machine guns (PKM, 6P41 "Pecheneg", NSV-127 "Utyos" or 6P49 "Kord").

Maneuverability

The BTR-D is powered by the same engine as the BMD-1. Its suspension is longer because the entire vehicle has been lengthened by 60 mm. Because of this, the vehicle has six roadwheels on each side instead of five. It has five return rollers on each side unlike the BMD-1, which has four.

Amphibious ability

Armour protection

The armour protection is slightly better on the BTR-D than on the BMD-1 due to the upper front armour having a dual slanted angle.

Troop compartment

With the turret removed, the troop compartment was enlarged and can carry up to ten equipped soldiers. It's also linked with the crew compartment in the front. There are two firing ports in the sides and one in the rear, two of which are for RPK-74 light machine guns.

Equipment

The BTR-D has all the same equipment as the BMD-1, with added towing equipment for a ZU-23-2 twin AA autocannon.

Air-drop techniques

Service history

The BTR-D entered service with the Soviet Army in 1974. It was used by Soviet airborne troops during the

, where it was seen for the first time by the West in 1979. As of now, the BTR-D and vehicles based upon it are used by the following units of the Russian Army or are stationed in following bases: * 76th Guards Air Assault Division from

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

, which is part of Western Military District (90 BTR vehicles, 30 BTR-RD and 49 BTR-ZD as of 2000), the subunits of this division include : 104th airborne regiment from

(34 BTR-D, 6 BTR-RD, 13 BTR-ZD and 6 BMD-1KSh) :234th airborne regiment from Pskov (32 BTR-D, 6 BTR-RD, 12 BTR-ZD and 5 BMD-1KSh) :1140th artillery regiment from Pskov (14 BTR-RD, 3 BTR-ZD, 1 BMD-1KSh and 18 2S9 Anona) :165th independent air defense division from Pskov (4 BTR-ZD and 1 BMD-1KSh) :656th independent engineer battalion from Pskov (8 BTR-D and 1 BMD-1KSh) :728th independent communications battalion from Pskov (2 BTR-D, 6 BMD-1KSh, 3 BMD-1R and 2 R-440-ODB ) :7th independent repair battalion from Pskov (2 BTR-D).warfare.ru VDV
/ref> * 98th Guards Airborne Division from

Ivanovo Ivanovo (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Russia and the administrative center and largest city of Ivanovo Oblast, located northeast of Moscow and approximately from Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Russia, Vladimir and Kostroma. ...

(92 BTR vehicles, 27 BTR-RD and 38 BTR-ZD as of 2000), the subunits of this division include :217th airborne regiment from Ivanovo (32 BTR-D, 6 BTR-RD, 11 BTR-ZD, 7 BMD-1KSh and 1 BMD-1R) :331st airborne regiment from

Kostroma Kostroma (, ) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. In the 2021 census, the population is 267, ...

(33 BTR-D, 6 BTR-RD, 15 BTR-ZD, 5 BMD-1KSh and 1 BMD-1R) :1065th artillery regiment from Kostroma (15 BTR-RD, 3 BTR-ZD and 2 BMD-1KSh) :318th independent air defense division from Ivanovo (4 BTR-D, 8 BTR-ZD and 1 BMD-1KSh) :661st independent engineer battalion from Ivanovo (7 BTR-D and 1 BMD-1KSh) :674th independent communications battalion from Pskov (2 BTR-D, 6 BMD-1KSh, 4 BMD-1R and 3 R-440-ODB ) :15th independent repair battalion from Pskov (7 BTR-D). * 106th Guards Airborne Division from Tula which is a part of the Western Military District (132 BTR vehicles, 33 BTR-RD and 49 BTR-ZD as of 2000), the subunits of this division include :51st airborne regiment from Tula (32 BTR-D, 6 BTR-RD, 13 BTR-ZD, 2 BMD-1KSh and 1 BMD-1R) :137th airborne regiment from

Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...

(38 BTR-D, 6 BTR-RD, 13 BTR-ZD, 7 BMD-1KSh and 1 BMD-1R) :1182nd artillery regiment from Yefremov (4 BTR-D, 3 BTR-ZD, 2 BMD-1KSh and 18 2S9 Anona) :107th independent air defense division from Donskoy (18 BTR-D, 6 BTR-ZD and 1 BMD-1KSh) :332nd independent engineer battalion from Tula (8 BTR-D and 1 BMD-1KSh) :731st independent communications battalion from Tula (2 BTR-D, 6 BMD-1KSh, 5 BMD-1R and 2 R-440-ODB ) :15th independent repair battalion from Tula (4 BTR-D and 1 BREM-D). * 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division from Novorossyysk, Southern Military District (121 BTR vehicles, 27 BTR-RD, 38 BTR-ZD and 55 2S9 Anona as of 2000), the subunits of this division include :108th airborne regiment from Novorossyysk (35 BTR-D, 9 BTR-RD, 13 BTR-ZD, 7 BMD-1KSh and 19 2S9 Anona) :247th CDO regiment from Stavropol' (26 BTR-D, 9 BTR-RD and 13 BTR-ZD) :1141st artillery regiment from

Anapa Anapa (, , ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. As of the 2021 Russian census, it had a population of 81,863. It is one of the largest ...

(5 BTR-D and 9 BTR-ZD) :30th independent air defense division from Novorossyysk (4 BTR-D and 8 BTR-ZD) :629th independent engineer battalion from Starotitarovskaya (8 BTR-D) :743rd independent communications battalion from Novorossyysk (2 BTR-D, 8 BMD-1KSh and 3 R-440-ODB) :6th independent repair battalion from Novorossyysk (4 BTR-D and 1 BREM-D). * 31st independent airborne brigade from

Ul'yanovsk Ulyanovsk,, , known as Simbirsk until 1924, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River east of Moscow. Ulyanovsk has been the only Russian UNESCO Ci ...

which is a part of the Central Military District (57 BTR-D, 24 BTR-RD, 19 BTR-ZD, 8 BMD-1KSh and 2 BMD-1R as of 2000). * 45th independent Spetsnaz regiment from

Kubinka Kubinka () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Odintsovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Setun River, west of Moscow. Population: __TOC__ History Kubinka, founded in the 15th century, may have been named ...

, Moscow (1 BTR-D). * Ryazan airborne troops institute (6 BTR-D, 5 BTR-RD, 2 BTR-ZD and 2 BMD-1KSh).

Variants

* BTR-D (Ob'yekt 925) – Basic model. **BTR-DG (Ob'yekt 925G) – Cargo variant without bow machine guns, firing ports and periscopes. The troop compartment was modified to serve as a cargo compartment. *** BTR-DG converted into an airborne SPAAG fitted with a specially built three-legged ZU-23-2 twin anti-aircraft autocannon mount over the roof of the cargo compartment. ** BTR-D San – A BTR-D converted into an airborne armoured ambulance. ** BREM-D (BREM-D stands for ''bronirovannaya remonto-evakuatsionnaya mashina desanta'' – armoured maintenance-recovery vehicle of the airborne) (Ob'yekt 932) – A BTR-D converted into an airborne ARV. It carries specialized equipment for the repair and recovery of BMD-1 type vehicles. This equipment includes a light collapsible crane stored on the roof of the personnel compartment, which can be traversed through 180°, a recovery winch, a combination spade and dozer blade, a generator, towing equipment, electric welding system, tools and ready use spares. One of the 7.62 mm bow PKT tank machine guns was eliminated. This entered service in 1989 in very small numbers. ** BTR-RD "Robot" – A BTR-D converted into an airborne ATGM team carrier with two 9P135M-1 ATGM launchers capable of firing

9M113 Konkurs The 9M113 ''Konkurs'' (; ; NATO reporting name AT-5 ''Spandrel'') is a Soviet SACLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile. A development of the 9K111 Fagot with greater firepower, the 9M113 Konkurs can use the same launchers and is very similar vis ...

(AT-5 Spandrel), 9M113M Konkurs-M (AT-5B Spandrel B), 9K111 Fagot (AT-4 Spigot) and 9K111-2 Fagot (AT-4B Spigot B) ATGMs. They can be used by the dismounted ATGM squad or fitted on a pintle mount on the right side of the hull. This is basically a BTR-D with a pintle mount added and with missile racks inside the troop compartment. ** BTR-ZD "Skrezhet" (ZD stands for Z''enitnaya, Desantirymaya'') – A converted into an airborne air defense vehicle for carrying two MANPAD teams. The vehicle is fitted with racks for spare

MANPAD Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are portable shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. They are guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters and also used against low-flying cruise missi ...

missiles. It is fitted with external stowage rails for a MANPAD on the right hand side of the roof of the troop compartment. It can carry a complete ZU-23-2 twin anti-aircraft autocannon mount on the roof of the troop compartment. ** NPDU "Sterkh" (NPDU stands for ''nazemnyj punkt distantsionnogo upravleniya'') – A BTR-D converted into an airborne

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...

carrier and launch vehicle of the "Stroy-P" set. It is used to launch Yakovlev Pchela-1T UAVs for reconnaissance or jamming at ranges up to 60 km. The single-rail launcher is mounted on left hand side of the roof of the hull. It has a large three-piece tube on the forward right hand side of the roof of the hull. It entered service in 1990. *** Malakite – An improved NPDU Sterkh. ** BMD-1KSh "Soroka" (Ob'yekt 926) (KSh stands for ''komandno-shtabnaya'' – command and staff) – an airborne command post equipped with the R-123M, R-111 and R-130M or R-134 radio sets, as well as an AB1 portable 1 kW generator, the TNA-3 navigation system, folding CLOTHES HORSE type antennae around the superstructure and two slim antenna masts. Bow mounted machine guns and firing ports were removed. The commander's hatch is offset to the left and does not project forward. It's sometimes called BMD-KSh or KShM-D. ** BMD-1R "Sinitsa" (R stands for ''radiostantsiya'' – signals vehicle) – A division-level command and signals vehicle equipped with a R-161A2M radio set, one heavy telescopic antenna mast stowed along the left hand side of the roof of the hull and one slim elevatable antenna mast on the rear right hand side of the roof of the personnel compartment. Only a small number were delivered. ** R-440-ODB "Kristall-BDS" – A BTR-D converted into an airborne satellite communications vehicle with a R-440 system with a range of 15,000 km. The vehicle has a roof-mounted satellite dish AK-12 that is covered with a cage-like structure during transport. ** 1V119 "Reostat" – A BTR-D converted into an airborne artillery battalion fire direction vehicle. The vehicle is fitted with a turret equipped with NNP-21 and V-7 observation devices, three R-173 and R-159 radio sets, a PAB-2AM aiming circle, three antennae mounts, DSP-30 and DAK-2 rangefinders. The turret was equipped with PSNR-5K (1RL-133-1) "Tall Mike" ground surveillance radar mounted on the roof of the turret. Located over the turret front sights were visors hinged in the centre.Russian/FSU Armored Fighting Vehicles
. Armscontrol.ru. Retrieved 21 September 2011. ** 2S9 Nona-S (Ob'yekt 925S) – An airborne self-propelled mortar, armed with a 120 mm 2A60 mortar. Entered service in 1981.

Operators

Current operators

* – 9 BTR-D as of 2024. * – 550 BTR-D in active service as of 2024. At least 118 BTR-D have been visually confirmed lost so far in the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. * – 30 in the Ukrainian Airborne Forces as of 2024, with 40 in service in 1995, 42 in 2000 and 44 in 2005. At least 3 BTR-D have been visually confirmed lost so far in the

. * – 50 in 2024. 70 were in service in 1995, 50 in 2000 and 2005.

Former operators

* – Passed on to successor states. * – 117 in 1995, 22 in 2000, 2003 and 2005. None recorded in service as of 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Btr-D Command vehicles Armoured personnel carriers of the Soviet Union Armoured personnel carriers of the Cold War Cold War armoured fighting vehicles of the Soviet Union Amphibious armoured personnel carriers Airborne fighting vehicles Tracked armoured personnel carriers Volgograd Tractor Plant products Military vehicles introduced in the 1970s