Russia digs deeper into military archives with BTR‑50 deployment
Russian soldiers pose in front of armored personnel carriers. These are the nearly antique BTR-50s developed in the 1950s. We explain whether these relics of the past have any usefulness and where the Russians are obtaining them.
The Russians are experiencing increasing difficulties in replacing lost equipment. According to the list maintained by the group Oryxspioenkop, as many as 7,229 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers have been confirmed lost through photographs. The actual number may be two or three times higher.
Initially, the Russians retrieved equipment from post-Soviet stockpiles, which, due to outdoor storage, resemble strategic junkyards. From there, the Russian industry salvaged the shells of the equipment for thorough rebuilding. Before the full-scale war in Ukraine, these resources seemed inexhaustible, but now Russia has reached rock bottom.
Equipment from the 1980s and 1990s is depleted, and examples from the 1970s have also run out. This creates the necessity to resort to equipment from the 1960s, like T-62 tanks, or even the 1950s, such as T-54/55 tanks and BTR-50 carriers. It seems that even BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles and MT-LB carriers are exhausted, leaving the BTR-50. The photos below were most likely taken in the fall, but as is often the case with wartime realities, they are released with several months' delay.
BTR-50 - a Stalin-era relic better than nothing
The origins of the BTR-50 personnel carriers trace back to 1952 when designers created a tracked transporter based on the chassis of the PT-76 amphibious light tank. The prototype, designated as Object 750, was positively evaluated, leading to the BTR-50’s production beginning in 1954 and continuing into the 1970s.
Structurally, it was an open transporter, which was the World War II standard, before military equipment began to be produced according to NBC (nuclear, biological, and chemical weapon) regulations. This quickly resulted in the BTR-50 being replaced by hermetically sealed vehicles.
The open design does, however, offer a notable advantage: excellent situational awareness for the transported troops. These troops are protected only by steel sides approximately 0.4 inches thick. Such armor can currently be penetrated even by a standard NATO 5.56x45 mm bullet with an SS109 projectile at a distance of less than 328 feet. Additionally, the lack of a roof means that a grenade or Molotov cocktail thrown inside would wreak havoc for the transported troops.
The sole advantage of this design is the tracked undercarriage, which performs significantly better in challenging muddy terrain than wheeled traction, and its ability to float. The BTR-50 is capable of moving at a maximum speed of about 27 mph on paved roads and swimming at a speed of about 7 mph.
The BTR's crew consists of two soldiers, and the transport compartment can fit 12 fully equipped troops. It is currently a highly outdated vehicle, and its only advantage is that it is more practical than civilian Ladas, tractors, or the soldiers' own feet.
