Home-grown BTR-4 Bucephalus is helping Ukraine to fight off Russians – Technology Org
Ukraine has a fairly expansive defense industry. The BTR-4 Bucephalus is a Ukrainian amphibious wheeled infantry fighting vehicle produced since 2008. Before the ongoing Russian invasion, the Armed Forces of Ukraine had more than a couple of hundred of these armored vehicles.
Now the number of them in the possession of the defenders of Ukraine is lower, but these machines are still fighting to defend Ukrainian land against the Russian invaders.
The BTR-4 Bucephalus has been in service since 2009. Image credit: Mil.gov.ua via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0)
The BTR-4 Bucephalus, developed in the Kharkiv Mechanical Engineering Bureau, was first revealed in 2006. A couple of years later, the BTR-4 entered serial production. The first Bucephalus entered service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2009. The National Guard of Ukraine also uses these infantry fighting vehicles, but since 2014.
Soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine use Ukrainian BTR-4 Bucephalus infantry fighting vehicles in the Donetsk region in the sector of the Bakhmut. Footage of Ukrainian defenders from the inside of a BTR-4 was published on Telegram:
Here you can see how the BTR-4 blasts the occupants with a 30 mm autocannon. BTR-4 can do this effectively even at night. In fact, the BTR-4 can do it in practically any conditions.
The BTR-4 Bucephalus has an 8×8 chassis with great off-road ability and the ability to swim without any preparations. All wheels are driven by a 489 or 598 hp engine.
On the road, the BTR-4 can reach a maximum speed of 110 km / h, in water – 10 km / h. Depending on the armor level and the set of weapons, the Bucephalus weighs 17.5-25 tons. This machine is operated by three crew members. 8 passengers can sit there as well.
The BTR-4 can operate in various climate conditions, on roads with various surfaces, or completely off-road. Working ambient temperatures range from -40 to +55°C. This means that there is no such winter that the BTR-4 is afraid of.
The BTR-4 is armed with a Russian 30 mm automatic cannon 2A72. This is a reminder that pro-Russian politics once prevailed in Ukraine. On the other hand, this gun is definitely not short on ammo. The BTR-4MV1 version was specially designed to meet NATO standards, which means that in the future Ukraine should not have problems making a NATO-friendly version of the BTR-4.
Ukraine, by the way, is not the only user of BTR-4 Bucephalus – Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Myanmar and, unfortunately, Russia operates these infantry fighting vehicles as well.
Oryx, an independent open-source intelligence site, calculated that Russia was able to capture more than 20 Ukrainian BTR-4 vehicles during the ongoing invasion.
Sources: Focus.ua , Wikipedia