BTR - 80 The BTR - 80 is an 8x8 wheeled amphibious armoured personnel carrier ( APC ) designed in the USSR . Adopted in 1986 and replaced the previous versions , BTR - 60 and BTR - 70 in the Soviet Army . ( , BTR stands for bronyetransportyor , literally meaning " armoured transporter " ) Description . The Soviets based the BTR - 80 on the BTR - 70 APC . It has a single 260 - hp , V - 8 turbocharged , water - cooled , diesel engine , an improvement over the twin gasoline engines installed in the BTR - 60 and BTR - 70 vehicles . The reconfigured rear portion of the hull accommodates a new , single engine . The Soviets removed the roof chamfer s of the modified BTR - 70 , raised the rear , and squared off the rearward - sloping engine compartment . Standard equipment include TNPO vision blocks , optical devices TNP - B and TKN - 3 for the driver and commander , an OU - 3GA2M infra - red search light , six 81 mm smoke grenade launchers 902V " Tucha " , a radioset ( R - 173 or R - 163 - 50U ) , an intercom and hydrojets . Capabilities . The Soviets modified the truncated cone turret used on the BTR - 70 for the BTR - 80 by redesigning the mantlet . This allows the 14 . 5mm KPVT and coaxial 7 . 62mm PKT machine guns to be elevated to a maximum of 60 degrees . This high angle of fire is useful in engaging targets on steep slopes , in urban fighting , and for engaging low slow flying air targets . The Soviets have also modified the design and positioning of the firing ports ; the ports are now round , rather than tear - shaped , and have ball mounts similar to those used on the BMP - 1 . The forward firing ports now sit in angled recesses which allow infantry to fire from the front of the vehicle . The redesigned side doors are split horizontally . The upper portion opens forward ; this gives dismounting troops some protection against small arms fire from the front of the vehicle . The lower portion opens down , forming a step . Six smoke grenade projectors are mounted on the rear of the turret . The BTR - 80 can also climb a slope with up to 60 % gradient and climb a vertical step of 0 . 5 m Remarks . In 1984 , the Soviets began production of a diesel - engined variant of the BTR - 70 , which they called the BTR - 80 . The Soviets have retrofitted some BTR - 70s with several of the improvements incorporated into the BTR - 80 , including the high - angle - of - fire turret . The twin doors are designed to allow the infantry to disembark while the vehicle is in motion , and allow the infantry inside to exit from one side if the other is receiving fire . The 30mm Cannon variants are capable of engaging most threats effectively besides modern tanks , where they can still cause significant damage to optics , weapons , and important systems . The main gun is not stabilized ( neither in the BTR - 80 nor the BTR - 80A ) , so accurate fire on the move is limited ( only at low speeds ) , and the rotation mechanism is manually operated . The gunner sits in a roof mounted chair located above the flat floor behind the driver / commander and two passengers , and before the passenger bench . The gunner ' s station is basic , but uncharacteristically uncramped for a Soviet armored vehicle . The gunner is equipped with both a day time optical sight and an infra red night sight . Operators . There are over 5 , 000 BTR - 80s in service in various armies around the world :