BTR-152 Armoured Personnel Carrier

Soviet BTR-152.V Armoured Personnel Carrier.

The first version of the BTR-152 was produced in 1950, it became the basis for many useful variants. The vehicle hull is of all-welded construction, engine and transmission are at the front of the vehicle. The crew consists of a driver, co-driver, and up to 17 infantry who normally board the vehicle through the rear entry hatch. Three firing ports on each side, and two at the rear allow the infantry to fight from inside the vehicle. The BTR-152.V was an improved variant based on the more suitable ZIL-157 truck chassis. Introduced in 1955, the BTR-152.V featured large single tires, an external tire pressure regulation system, a front-mounted winch, and night vision equipment. The OMEGA-K model shown here has been painted dark green with light stone disruptive stripes.

Available Scale Model Kits

  • BTR-152 APC, 1:87 Herpa 742290
  • BTR-152 APC, 1:87 Herpa 743563
  • BTR-152 APC (NVA), 1:87 Herpa 744171
  • BTR-152 APC, 1:100 Roskopf 11
  • BTR-152 APC, 15 mm Peter Pig 95
  • BTR-152 APC, 1:300 Heroics & Ros SM86
  • BTR-152.V APC, 1:72 ICM 72531
  • BTR-152.V1 APC, 1:35 SKIF 209
  • BTR-152.V1 APC (IDF), 1:35 SKIF 234
  • BTR-152.V1 APC, 1:72 MAC Distribution 72001

Technical Specifications

  • Designation: BTR-152
  • Type: Wheeled APC
  • Motor and Chassis: Truck ZIS-157
  • Speed: 75 km/h on Roads
  • Tires: 12.00-18″
  • Length: 6550 mm
  • Width: 2320 mm
  • Height: 2410 m
  • Weight: 8600 kg
  • Armour: 3-10 mm
  • Armament: 7.62 mm Machine Gun
  • 2 Crew + 17 Infantry
  • Production: 1955–1960s

Historical Employment

  • The BTR-152 series has seen service with Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China (as the type 56 APC), Congo, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Egypt, Finland, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Poland, Romania, Soviet Union, Syria, and other countries. Production ended in early 1960s, and in Russia the vehicle was replaced by the BTR-60.P series.
  • The Palestinian Authority (PA) currently has 50 BTR-152 in inventory which were supplied by Egypt in 1996 and 1997.
  • Israel used BTR-152 series vehicles, but it is unlikely that these were actually purchased from the Soviet Union. Like other Warsaw Pact equipment in the Israeli arsenal, the BTR-152s were most likely captured during the conflicts with Egypt, and Syria.

The BTR-152 is an important armoured personnel carrier using the motor und chassis of the ZIS-157 truck. In the early 1970s, the BTR-152 was superseded by the eight-wheeled amphibious BTR-60 in the armoured personnel carrier role, although it continued to serve in the Soviet and Russian army in a variety of other roles until 1993. The BTR-152 series of vehicles was widely exported, and many of these vehicles remain in service around the world, even if they have been relegated to reserve or national guard formations.

Cold War Miniatures