BTR

A **BTR** is an OPFOR wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier (APC). It is capable of transporting anywhere up to entire Squad, and is armed with a heavy anti-infantry weapon (typically a Heavy Machine Gun). BTRs are very commonly encountered in *ShackTac* missions, particularly as opponents when the Shackers themselves are playing BLUFOR. Missions involving player-operated BTRs are relatively rare.

BTRs run on 4 pairs of wheels (for a total of 8 wheels). Their armor is capable of withstanding Small Arms fire, up to and including Heavy Machine Gun rounds. The tires, while more vulnerable to large-caliber weapons, are still difficult to puncture with standard Assault Rifle bullets. BTRs are quite vulnerable to Anti-Tank Launchers of all kinds, and may also be defeated by hitting them repeatedly with GPs.

A BTR crew nominally consists of three men: One driver, one gunner, and one commander. *ShackTac* BTRs may use only two, with the commander also acting as the gunner. The gunner sits in a turret at the top of the vehicle, and mans the vehicle's primary weapon.

Most BTRs use a Heavy Machine Gun, capable of suppressing and destroying enemy infantry and light vehicles with ease. One model (the BTR-80A) uses an Autocannon instead, for significantly increased firepower and the ability to defeat enemy lightly-armored vehicles like the M113. Most BTRs also have additional secondary Medium Machine Guns.

The Modsets used by *ShackTac* have included several variants of the BTR, each with its own characteristics. The most common are BTR-60 and BTR-70, which can transport up to a Squad or a Fireteam respectively, and are slightly differently armored. The autocannon-armed BTR-80A has made its debut appearance in *ArmA 3*, and is significantly more dangerous than previous variants. The BTR-40 is very different from the others both in appearance and weaponry, being essentially an Armored Car (armed only with Medium Machine Guns), and typically appears in low-tech scenarios (mid 20th century equipment).

Friendly BTRs, when they appear at all, are typically close-support and transportation vehicles, acting as the "Mechanized" part of a Mechanized Infantry platoon.

Note: The rest of the article does not apply for the BTR-40, as it is a very different vehicle from the others in this classification.

## Specifications

The **BTR** is an 8-wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier armed with a Heavy Machine Gun or larger automatic weapon.

### Shape Recognition

The most instantly-recognizable part of the **BTR** are its 8 wheels (4 per side), which are completely exposed. It has fat-looking tires with relatively small hubs.

The BTR has a long, squat hull. The rear 2/3 of the hull is mostly flat all the way to the back of the vehicle. The front 1/3 angles downward over the driver seat, then flattens out to form the nose. The underside of the nose is angled up sharply. A small, round, conical turret sits on top of the hull, at the forward end of the flat section.

BTR-60, 70 and 80 are very similar in appearance. The BTR-60's hull is taller than the others, giving the vehicle a slightly bulkier appearance. The BTR-70 is recognizable by a more squat hull with two flaps at the front (where the hull angles down) which can be opened to allow the driver and commander to look out forward. BTR-80 instead has overhead hatches for the driver and commander to Turn Out of the vehicle, but otherwise looks almost indistinguishable from a BTR-70.

The BTR-80A is instantly recognizable by its larger turret and longer-barreled weapon (reaching almost the very tip of the nose of the vehicle). Its turret also features two large bulges where the ammunition is stored. This distinction is important due to the danger posed by this larger weapon (an Autocannon) compared to other BTR models.

### Weaponry

Most BTR models carry a Heavy Machine Gun (HMG). This is an automatic weapon firing 14.5mm bullets in rapid succession. It is capable of killing infantry, or at the very least heavily suppressing them. 14.5mm bullets are quite capable of penetrating wood and metal cover, may go through stone and sandbags, and will cut down trees easily.

The HMG also poses a threat to enemy vehicles, particularly lightly-armored ones up to and including APCs such as the M113. Anything lighter than that (e.g. HMMWVs) will be easily perforated by this weapon. Heavier armored vehicles such as IFVs and Tanks can withstand HMG rounds fairly well, but their vulnerable optics and tracks may be damaged or even destroyed by concentrated fire from this weapon. Helicopters are especially susceptible to HMG fire, which can knock out the engine, rotor or pilot on repeated strikes.

Each BTR is also equipped with a secondary Medium Machine Gun, mounted coaxially to the main gun. It can use this weapon to saturate an area with bullets more effectively (for suppression), and especially to kill infantry in the open. It can also engage unarmored vehicles effectively.

The BTR-80A is unique in that it replaces the primary Heavy Machine Gun with an Autocannon firing 30mm shells. This is the same weapon typically found on a BMP-2. While its rate of fire is a little lower than an HMG, the autocannon's shells are significantly more powerful, having a slight explosive effect that is quite good at annihilating infantry. These heavy shells can also more easily destroy enemy vehicles, and may even be effective against well-armored IFVs if fired aggressively at the target.

### Armor

A BTR is well-armored for a wheeled vehicle, capable of withstanding Small Arms caliber bullets without taking any damage. The tires of a BTR are quite thick, and can also withstand similar caliber bullets. Penetrating a BTR's armor requires .50 Cal / 12.7mm bullets at the very least, and more likely requires even heavier rounds (20mm or larger) to defeat. The tires can be reliably taken out with .50 Cal bullets or similar.

Anti-Tank Launchers and Cannon shells can penetrate BTR armor very effectively, usually requiring only a single hit to destroy the vehicle entirely. GPs and Hand Grenades, while they might struggle to penetrate the BTR's armor, will reliably destroy tires or damage the vehicle's internal systems, forcing the crew to bail. Repeated use of GPs may weaken the armor sufficiently to destroy the vehicle altogether.

Overall, a BTR should be able to assault infantry from a distance without much fear. It can stand up to any vehicle of its size or smaller. On the other hand, any anti-tank weaponry will defeat it almost instantly.

### Transportation

A BTR-60 is capable of transporting up to 14 infantrymen on top of its 3-man crew. 14 men is exactly the size of a standard *ShackTac* Squad.

BTR-70 and upwards can only carry up to 7 infantrymen on top of the 3-man crew. This allows loading up to one Fireteam plus 1 additional man.

Like most APCs, a BTR is loaded from the rear, by opening a rear door that acts as a ramp. The passengers all sit in chairs inside the compartment at the rear of the vehicle, and cannot fire out.

In *ArmA 3*, infantry can now sit on top of a BTR, on the sides of the hull behind the turret. This allows the BTR to carry 6 (8?) additional infantrymen, essentially allowing BTR-70/80/80A to carry an entire Squad. However, these infantrymen do not enjoy any protection from the vehicle's armor. Infantry riding on the outside of a BTR can fire at enemies freely.

## Tactics and Organization

The **BTR** is the primary Armored Personnel Carrier available to the OPFOR side. Its 8-wheeled chasis can move very quickly over roads and even off-road, to transport soldiers quickly to their positions and then provide them with close support. Nevertheless, as with most APCs, it is ultimately vulnerable to explosives and other heavy weaponry and cannot hold its own against any significant enemy force.

BTRs are typically used as the "mechanized" component in a Mechanized Infantry platoon/company. The relative vulnerability of the BTR means that it relies on infantry or other vehicles to help protect it. As such, there are two options for fitting the BTR into the platoon:

* **BTR Vehicle Section / Vehicle Platoon:** In this setup, several BTRs are grouped together as a single unit. The Commander of the first BTR in the group has some authority to help maintain unit cohesion, but the unit will mostly act on orders from the Platoon Leader / Company Commander. In this setup, BTRs act as the backbone of the force, with infantry providing them protection on the flanks. The BTRs will generally remain in close proximity to one another.
* **BTR Close Support:** Equally common is a setup where each BTR is directly attached to a single Squad of infantry, and works closely with that specific Squad - providing it close fire support and protection. The BTR will coordinate directly with the Squad Leader on the squad's own 343 channel.

## Notable Appearances

*Please add below any notable appearances of a BTR in ShackTac videos. Primarily important are rare Friendly BTRs.*

* ***Last Out*** by **Dslyecxi**: A single **BTR** vehicle supports the Shackers during their Defense in Depth. It has the callsign Sickle-1 (S-1) and is charged with general mobile support, but spends the majority of the mission protecting Alpha Squad's flanks.