The MT-LBu is a Soviet multi-purpose fully amphibious armoured carrier which was developed under the factory index Ob'yekt 10 in the late 1960s, based on the MT-LB. It has a more powerful engine, a 40 cm higher hull and a longer chassis with 7 road wheels on each side.

Development

In the 1970s the Soviet Central Auto and Tractor Directorate embarked on a development program to replace the AT-P series of artillery tractors that were based on the ASU-57, with a new generation of vehicles. The MT-L was developed to meet this requirement based on the PT-76 chassis. The MT-LB is the armoured variant of the vehicle. Entering production in the early 1970s, it was cheap to build, being based on many existing components including the engine, which is a truck engine. The MT-LBu is a bigger, unarmed version that is used as the basis for many specialised vehicles. It was built at the Kharkiv Tractor Plant (KhTZ) in the Ukrainian SSR as well as Poland (Stalowa Wola) and Bulgaria (Beta JSCo.).

Description

The crew—a driver and a commander—is located in a compartment at the front of the vehicle, with the engine behind them. The compartment at the rear has a volume of 13 m3. A load of 6,500 kg can be towed. The vehicle is fully amphibious, being propelled in the water by its tracks. The vehicle is lightly armoured against small arms and shell splinters with a thickness of 3 to 10 mm of steel. The troop compartment has one roof hatch over the top, which opens rearwards. In the centre of the roof there is a big circular opening that is covered with a blanking plate with hatch when no turret is mounted. The MT-LBu has 2 firing ports: one in the front right side, the other in the rear door, both with an associated vision device. The driver is provided with a TVN-2 infra-red periscope, which in combination with the OU-3GK infra-red/white light search light provides a range of about 40 m. The MT-LBu is equipped with an NBC detection device GO-27, a filter system FVU and a navigation apparatus.

SIGINT "Taran"

At the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine the MT-Lbu variant R-381T "Taran" got more in focus. The System is used at divisional level and consists of 7 vehicles. The recent R-381TM Taran-M is an upgrade of R-381T Taran from the Cold War-era.The system is used to monitor radio signals, eavesdropping on enemy forces’ communications across a wide range of frequencies. As well as providing raw intelligence in the form of intercepted communications, the Taran is able to geolocate transmitters, providing commanders with critical data on the actual positions of enemy forces. The kompleks radiotekhnicheskoj razvedki System (‘automatic radio intelligence complex) replaced the R-381 "Rama" set on GAZ-66 truck. In Ukraine the newer version R-381TM Taran-M is used. About the "original R-381T Taran" is known, that the system, when deployed at full strength, consists of seven vehicles. The R-381T Taran complex can be set up to comprise five vehicles: two R-381T2s, two R-381T1s, and a single R-381T3. The Taran 2 gathers signals at four R-381T2 UHF radio monitoring stations that operate in the 30 to 100 MHz band, and two R-381T1 VHF radio monitoring stations operating across 1.5 to 30 MHz, and which are able to listen in on aviation airband communication (100 to 400 MHz), as well as radio relay links (300 to 1000 MHz). Data acquired by these systems based on vehicles is then processed by a single R-381T3 vehicle. Ukrainian sources report, that the R-381T Taran can detect, classify and listen in on radio emissions at a range of 40 km on land and at a range of up to 97 km when monitoring airband communications.

Variants

Former USSR (Russian Federation and Ukraine)

Belarus

Based on older versions – mostly of the 1V12 series – Minotaur from Belarus has developed new versions of the MT-LBu:

Bulgaria

Finland

Hungary

Poland

Polish HSW S.A. (Huta Stalowa Wola S.A.) has a license to produce MT-LBu.

Sweden

Operators

Current operators

Former operators