BTR-60, Soviet armored personnel carrier displayed in Rudnichny District, Prokopyevsk, Russia.
The BTR-60 is an eight-wheeled amphibious armored personnel carrier measuring approximately 24.8 feet (7.56 meters) in length, 9.25 feet (2.82 meters) in width, and 7.58 feet (2.31 meters) in height, featuring a welded steel hull designed to transport infantry while providing protection against small arms fire.
Developed by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s and entering service in 1959, the BTR-60 replaced earlier models such as the BTR-152, with over 25,000 units produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant until 1976, first appearing publicly in 1961 during military parades.
The BTR-60 became a recognizable symbol of Soviet military engineering during the Cold War era, serving extensively across Warsaw Pact nations and allied countries, and participating in numerous regional conflicts from the 1960s through the early 2000s in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Powered by two gasoline engines producing 90 horsepower each, the vehicle could reach road speeds up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour) and travel in water at approximately 6 miles per hour (10 kilometers per hour) using a rear-mounted water jet propulsion system.
The BTR-60 featured an unconventional dual-engine configuration with each engine independently driving four wheels, which provided redundancy in case of mechanical failure but also increased maintenance complexity and posed higher fire risks during combat operations.
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