BTR - 152 The BTR - 152 ( also known as BTR - 140 ) was a non - amphibious Soviet wheeled armored personnel carrier ( BTR stands for " Bronetransporter " ( БТР , Бронетранспортер , literally " armoured transporter " ) † ) that entered Soviet service in 1950 . By the early 1970s it had been replaced in the infantry vehicle role by the BTR - 60 . However , it remained in service in the Soviet Army and the Russian Army until 1993 in a variety of other roles . It was also exported to many third World countries . History . Tanks are an essential element of armed maneuver warfare . Yet , even this high - value , powerful weapon remains vulnerable to infantry anti - tank tactic s especially in urban or confined environments . Hence , infantry accompany tanks to assist in suppressing possible anti - tank action . During the Second World War , the Soviet tacticians incorporated joint infantry and tank attacks against German forces , both serving in roles to protect the other . Performance was less than desirable as infantry lacked the armored protection and rapid mobility of the tank , and thus unarmoured troops were vulnerable to enemy fire . This led to employment of armoured infantry carriage vehicles known as APC s which overcame these shortcomings . ( Perrett 1987 : 65 ) After the war , Soviet military analysed the high infantry casualty rate of combined infantry - tank attacks and concluded the lack of APCs were a major cause . This vulnerability in maneuver warfare was given high priority to remedy . The Soviet military industrial complex had its own designs , Lend - Lease vehicles such as the M3 Half - track and newly acquired German SdKfz 251 to serve as reference . ( Perrett 1987 : 65 ) The BTR - 152 was one of the first Soviet armoured infantry vehicle after the Second World War . It was developed from November 1946 at ZiS plant by a team ( it included K . M . Androsow , A . P . Pietrenko , W . F . Rodionow and P . P . Czerniajew ) led by B . M . Fitterman . The first two prototypes were completed in May 1947 and were followed by three experimental series . The vehicle was adopted by the Soviet Army on 24 March 1950 . The vehicle was based on the existing ZiS - 151 truck chassis . Despite an improved engine , the addition of 5 tons of armour resulted in the vehicle having insufficient mobility . Several upgraded versions were designed by W . F . Rodionow and N . I . Orłow which later entered production . These rectified many problems such as the open roof and the mobility issue . A central tire pressure regulation system was added to allow tire pressure to be adjusted to optimize traction in varying terrain . Production of the BTR - 152 was stopped in 1962 . Approximately 15 , 000 examples were built . Description . The BTR - 152 , based on a truck chassis , has the engine located in the front , the crew behind the engine , and an open - topped troop compartment in the rear . The vehicle has all - welded steel construction with sloped armour . The windscreen is protected by twin armoured shutters with integral vision blocks . Driver and commander enter and exit the vehicle via the doors on each side of the crew compartment . The upper part of the doors can be opened without opening the entire door , allowing both crew members a side view . Additionally both driver and commander can view the battlefield using periscopes mounted over the doors . The vehicle ' s armour varies from 15 mm thick on the front to 9 mm thick on the sides , to just 4 mm thick on the floor . This provides modest protection from small arms fire and small shell fragments , but does nothing against larger artillery fragments or heavy machinegun fire . The BTR - 152 ' s tires are not protected by armour and are particularly vulnerable to puncture from gunfire of all kinds . The vehicle is sometimes fitted with a winch that has a maximum capacity of 5 tonnes , and is fitted with a 70 m cable . The BTR - 152 can tow heavy guns , transport 1 . 9 tonnes of cargo , or a half platoon of infantry . In the APC role , infantrymen can fire their individual weapons from the relative protection of the vehicle , and can exit through the rear doors or by jumping over the sides . The troop compartment is open - topped , although later versions were enclosed . It can be covered with a tarpaulin to protect the transported cargo or troops from rain and snow ; however , it makes it unable for troops to disembark over the sides of the vehicle or mount any of the 7 . 62 mm SGMB light machine guns . The transported troops sit on two wooden benches . Twin doors at the rear of the hull provide access to the compartment . There are three firing ports on each side of the hull , and a further two in the rear . The driver and gunner are the only ones that have overhead protection . The BTR - 152K is the only APC variant to have an armoured roof over the troop compartment and an NBC protection system . All other BTR - 152 variants lack NBC protection . The BTR - 152 APC is armed with a single pintle - mounted 7 . 62 mm SGMB light machinegun which was a typical armament for APCs of its time . It can also mount a 12 . 7 mm DShK 1938 / 46 heavy machinegun . The machinegun can traverse 45 degrees and elevate between - 6 and + 24 degrees . Because the original BTR - 152 APC used components from the ZiS - 151 , it shared that truck ' s maintenance problems and poor cross - country mobility . Later variants using ZiL - 157 components featured more power and larger , single tires which reduced the vehicle ' s shortcomings but did not entirely eliminate them . Serviceability and reliability remained low . The lack of an amphibious capability was also a significant weakness . Armoured shutters controlled by the driver protect the radiator from hostile fire . Closing the shutters can result in sudden overheating of the engine during combat and can force the driver to reduce speed to avoid damaging the engine . The vehicle therefore becomes a slow , unmaneuverable target on the battlefield . Service history . The vehicle entered active service with the Soviet Army on 24 March 1950 and was first publicly shown during a parade in Moscow in 1951 . It was phased out as an APC between the late 1960s and early 1970s and was replaced by the BTR - 60 . It remained in service with the Soviet Army and later post - soviet Russian Army until 1993 in a variety of roles , including command vehicles , mobile radio stations and ambulances . It was also exported to many Third World countries where some still remain in service . BTR - 152 first saw combat use during Hungarian Revolution of 1956 . They were later used during the Six Day War in 1967 . Dozens of Egyptian and Syrian BTR - 152 APCs were captured by the Israeli Army . They were also used in combat during the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 by the Soviet Army and other Warsaw Pact armies . They also were used in a number of local conflicts like the ones in Africa .