In 1971, a prototype of the wheeled BMP GAZ-50 was manufactured, developed by the design bureau of the Gorky Automobile Plant on the basis of units and assemblies of the BTR-60PB. The wheeled infantry fighting vehicle had the same armament and turret as the BMP-1. The airborne compartment of the new vehicle accommodated eight infantrymen. The GAZ-50 BMP was not mass-produced for various reasons, but its chassis was used to create the BTR-70 armored personnel carrier, which was adopted on 1972-21-08.
In general, the layout of the BTR-70 repeats the BTR-60PB. The control compartment with the seats of the driver and vehicle commander is located in front of the armored personnel carrier's hull. Behind the control compartment is the troop compartment, and the engine-transmission compartment is in the aft section.
The driver and vehicle commander outside the battlefield observe the environment through two windshields, which are equipped with a heater and a wiper. Glasses in a combat position are closed by armored covers. In this case, the commander observes through the device TNPKU-2B and three periscopic devices TNP-B, and the driver uses four TNP-B. There are two hatches in the hull roof to enter the control compartment.
The closed sealed body of the BTR-70 is welded from rolled armor plates. The thickness of the frontal parts is 8-10 millimeters. The tower is also a welded structure, its thickness at the front is 6 millimeters. The height of the hull and armored personnel carrier in comparison with the BTR-60PB decreased by 185 millimeters.
Important new hull elements were small lower side hatches mounted on both sides of the hull between the third and second pairs of wheels. The hatches are intended for hidden dismounting and landing of troops. Additional hatches are also available in the troop compartment roof.
The troop compartment can accommodate six motorized riflemen. They are placed facing the sides on the seats, which makes it possible to fire directly from their seats. For this there are six embrasures in the sides of the hull, which are closed by armored covers. On each side of the troop compartment, a TNP-B device is installed for monitoring. Another paratrooper is placed in the front, the gunner of the machine gun is on the other side.
The BTR-70 armored personnel carrier has the same armament as the BTR-60PB: a KPVT machine gun of 14.5 mm caliber and a PKT 7, 62 mm machine gun are installed in an armored turret with a circular rotation. They also developed a prototype BTR-70 with a turret-mounted AG-17 automatic grenade launcher, but this model was not mass-produced.
The armored personnel carrier is equipped with an increased power plant. In the aft part of the hull, in the engine-transmission compartment, on a common frame, there are two eight-cylinder V-shaped carburetor GAZ-49B engines (each with a power of 120 hp). Oil cooling is carried out in two heat exchangers and radiators. The use of gasoline-fueled carburetor engines is associated with an increased fire hazard. To reduce the fire hazard, fuel tanks are installed in isolated compartments, and the armored personnel carrier is also equipped with an automatic fire-extinguishing system. The driver's seat is equipped with a system for disconnecting the power train from the engine, which makes it possible, in the event of a failure of one of the engines, to quickly turn it off and continue driving on a serviceable engine.
The chassis, like that of the BTR-60PB, is made according to the 8x8 wheel arrangement. The first two pairs are steerable, while the minimum turning radius is 12.6 meters. The suspension is torsion bar, the wheels have a split rim, low-pressure tires, tubeless, measuring 13, 00x18 inches. The APC is equipped with a centralized tire pressure regulation system. The presence of powerful compressors in this system makes it possible to regulate the pressure depending on the conditions and compensate for the loss of pressure when the tire is shot.
The maximum speed of the BTR-70 armored personnel carrier when driving on the highway is 80 km / h. The armored personnel carrier has a high cross-country ability. It overcomes water obstacles by swimming at a speed of up to 10 km / h. Movement through the water is provided by a two-stage jet propulsion unit. The power reserve afloat is 12 hours.
BTR-70 with a turret from the BTR-80
During the development of the BTR-70, considerable attention was paid to its equipment for conducting operations in conditions of the use of nuclear weapons, as well as other means of mass destruction. On the armored personnel carrier there is a DP-3B radiation reconnaissance device, a filter-ventilation unit, consisting of an absorber filter and a blower-separator, a set for special equipment. processing and military device chemical. intelligence VPHR.
The equipment of the armored personnel carrier includes: a tank intercom, a radio station R-123M, a heater, towing devices and a winch for self-recovery (tractive effort 6 thousand kgf).
