MT-LB

The MT-LB (Многоцелевой Тягач Легкий Бронированный, literally "multi-purpose towing vehicle light armored") is a Soviet multi-purpose, fully amphibious, tracked armored fighting vehicle in use since the 1970s. It was also produced in Poland, where (starting in the mid-1990s) its YaMZ engine was replaced by a Polish 6-cylinder SW 680 diesel engine.

Development
In the 1950s, the Soviet Central Auto and Tractor Directorate began a development program to replace the AT-P series of artillery tractors (which were based on the ASU-57 airborne self-propelled gun) with a new generation of vehicles. The MT-L was developed to meet this requirement based on the PT-76 amphibious light tank chassis. The MT-LB is the armored variant of the MT-L. Entering production in the early 1970s, it was cheap to build, being based on many existing components, e.g. the engine, which was originally developed for trucks.

It was built at the Kharkiv Tractor Plant (KhTZ) in Soviet Ukraine, and in Bulgaria. Formerly it was also manufactured under license in Poland by Huta Stalowa Wola

Description
The crew (a driver and a commander/gunner) sit in a compartment at the front of the vehicle, with the engine behind them. A compartment at the rear enables up to 11 infantry to be carried or a cargo of up to 2000 kg. A load of 6500 kg can be towed. The vehicle is fully amphibious, being propelled by its tracks in the water.

A small turret at the front of the vehicle fits a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun with 360-degree manual traverse and an elevation of −5 to +30 degrees. The vehicle is lightly armored against small arms and shell splinters with a thickness of 3 to 10 mm of steel with a maximum of 14 mm for the turret front.

Several weapon systems are based on this hull (for example Strela-10 or SNAR-10).

Former USSR

 * MT-L
 * MT-LB (izdeliye 6) – basic model, often used as simple APC but also as artillery tractor or ambulance. In the West the term MT-LB Blade or MT-LB M1980 is used for vehicles that are fitted with a hydraulic dozer blade.

Bulgaria

 * Bulgaria has various models of the MT-LB in service, as of 2016. Along with the base model, between 1971 and 2012 Bulgaria manufactures MT-LB VM variation with improved snow and swamp-going capabilities.



East Germany

 * MT-LB (Pi) – combat engineer vehicle.
 * MT-LB (Pzj) – version for anti-tank units.
 * MT-LB (Pzj Fü) – command vehicle for anti-tank units.
 * MT-LB (BO) SFL – battery command vehicle in self-propelled artillery units.
 * San MT-LB – ambulance
 * MTP-LB – technical support vehicle.

Iraq



 * MT-LB converted into a SPAAG by mounting a ZU-23-2 23×152mm twin anti-aircraft gun on the rear part of the vehicle. The gun had its wheels removed and as such cannot be easily dismounted and used separately. There were at least two variations of this conversion; one with the ZU-23-2 mounted in an open-topped turret, the other with the ZU-23-2 mounted on a platform extending beyond the hull of the MT-LB with a roof for the gun operators. The second version was most likely intended to be used in a fire support role, as the roof would hinder the gun's sights at high elevation.

Poland
Polish HSW S.A. (Huta Stalowa Wola S.A.) license produced MT-LB since 1976, and it also developed a modified chassis SPG-2, with better floating capabilities.
 * MT-LB-2AP – APC variant with a turret from SKOT-2AP, armed with high elevation 14.5mm KPVT MG and 7.62mm PKT CMG. Prototype only.
 * WEM Lotos – medical evacuation vehicle with four stretchers.
 * WPT Mors – armored recovery and repair vehicle, produced from 1983.
 * R-137T (radiostacja ruchoma UKF) – signals vehicle with VHF radio set R-137. Entered service in 1987 and has a range of 70 to 150 km.
 * ZWD-1 "Irys" (zautomatyzowany wóz dowodzenia) – command vehicle, belongs to the automated command set "Irys".
 * MT-LB-23M "Krak" – APC variant with a 23 mm gun in an unmanned turret. Prototype only.
 * Promet – self-propelled AA gun with twin 23 mm guns, from 1979. Four prototypes only.
 * "Przebiśnieg" – electronic warfare system, consists of three different vehicles:
 * SZ or MT-LB Z (stacja zakłóceń) – EW/Jamming vehicle;
 * SR or MT-LB R (stacja rozpoznania) – Comint/Sigint vehicle;
 * WD krel – command post vehicle (wóz dowodzenia kompanii radioelektronicznej).
 * SPG-2 – much-modified base vehicle, with reworked nose section and hydro jets for better floating:
 * TRI Hors – engineering reconnaissance vehicle, built in series from 1983, armed with 12.7mm NSVT AAMG mounted on a turret;
 * WPT Mors-II – armored recovery and repair vehicle, produced from 1986, armed with 12.7mm NSVT AAMG mounted on a turret;
 * Opal-I and Opal-II – artillery command vehicles, with a turret with NSWT-12.7 Utios: Opal-I with a 245 hp (180 kW) turbocharged diesel engine SW680/167/1, Opal-II with a 300 hp (220 kW) engine SW680T (YaMZ-238N) and a longer chassis with 7 road wheels on each side. Prototypes only


 * BWO-40 – infantry fighting vehicle with 40 mm Bofors gun. A similar turret was mounted on the BWP-40 (BMP-1 upgrade). Prototype only.

Vehicle in service

 * MT-LB
 * MT-LBV - a modification with wider tracks (670mm instead of 350mm) for lower ground pressure for snow/swamp operations and an NSVT machine gun in place of the normal PKT.
 * MT-LBVM
 * MT-LBVMK – a modification of MT-LBVM with a 12.7mm Kord instead of a 12.7mm NSVT machine gun.
 * MT-LBu
 * MT-LBM 6MB - 30mm autocannon turret mounted above the main compartment.

Prototypes

 * MT-LB 6MB3 - Modification from Muromteplovoz with AG-17 grenade launcher, 12.7mm Kord and a GSh-23-2. Possibly only one made.
 * MT-LB 6MA - Modification using BPU-1 turret mounted above main compartment.

Hybrid vehicles:
 * MT-LB with ZU-23 AA gun
 * MT-LB With 14.5mm BPU-1 Turret
 * MT-LB with 14.5mm 2M-7 naval gun mount
 * MT-LB with AZP S-60 AA gun
 * MT-LB with 100mm MT-12 anti-tank gun
 * MT-LB with 82 mm automatic mortar 2B9 Vasilek
 * MT-LB with 25mm 2M-3 naval gun
 * MT-LB with 140mm Ogon-18 MLRS

Vehicle not in service

 * Toros – Arctic adapted vehicle developed by Muromteplovoz, armed with a 30mm autocannon 2A42, PKMT 7.62mm machine gun, and 30mm AGS-17D grenade launcher, and equipped with a snowplow.

Sweden

 * Pbv 401 (pansarbandvagn) – modified a former East-German vehicle with 7.62 mm machine guns Ksp 95 and Ksp 58.

Ukraine

 * MT-LBMSh – announced in 2017, and built for Myanmar by the Kharkiv Tractor Plant. Equipped with a KBA-105 "Shkval" combat module with a 30 mm autocannon, KT-7,62 machine gun, KBA-117 30 mm grenade launcher, six smoke grenade launchers 902B Tucha, and Barrier ATGM system. The vehicle also has reinforced armor and a new YaMZ-238B engine with a power of 330 horsepower.


 * MT-LB-12 – A 2022 modification in which a MT-12 Rapira 100 mm anti-tank gun was mounted on top of the vehicle with an open-topped superstructure for cover. At least two made with more planned for production. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine also deployed improvised chop-jobs combining the hulls of the MT-LB with the 85 mm divisional gun D-44.

Current operators
As of 1/2-2024 Ukraine has lost 104 MT-LB of various variants during Russias invasion.
 * 🇦🇿 – 336
 * 🇦🇴 Angola – 31
 * 🇦🇴 Angola – 31
 * 🇧🇩 Bangladesh – 134
 * Boko Haram – Captured from the Nigerian Army.
 * 🇧🇬 – 100
 * 🇧🇾 Belarus – 70
 * – 6
 * 🇪🇷 Eritrea – 10
 * 🇫🇮 – 40 MT-LBV, 102 MT-LBU
 * – 66 in Service
 * 🇮🇶 Iraq – About 400 in Service.
 * Iraqi Kurdistan - Around ~400 in Service.
 * 🇰🇿 – 150
 * 🇲🇩 Moldova – 60
 * 🇲🇲 Myanmar – 26+ of MT-LBMSh
 * 🇳🇬 Nigeria – 67
 * 🇰🇵 North Korea – unknown number of HT-16PGJ based on Strela-10
 * 🇲🇰 – 10
 * People's Protection Units Flag.svg People's Defense Units (YPG)
 * 🇷🇺 Russia – 3,300 in active service before the start of Russo-Ukrainian War. Currently being modernized in the version MLBSh for the Marines with more powerful engines, new tracks and new weaponry. At least 50 were upgraded to the VM1K variant with a new radio station and a more powerful 310 hp engine. As of June 5th, 2024 Russia has lost over 1,100 MT-LBs of various variants in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
 * Transnistria
 * 🇺🇦 – 2,090. In 2018 nine MT-LBs received from Poland (those vehicles were previously in Polish service).
 * 🇺🇦 – 2,090. In 2018 nine MT-LBs received from Poland (those vehicles were previously in Polish service).
 * – 5
 * 🇺🇸 – Used by opposing force units for training purposes.

Former operators

 * Artsakh − Seized by Azerbaijan after the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh
 * – 6 SNAR-10 stored, for scrap.
 * Czechoslovakia – Passed on to the Czech Republic.
 * – 721 Bulgarian-made MT-LBs, 32 SNAR-10 and 36 Strela-10M. Unified with West Germany.
 * 🇩🇪 – taken from GDR's army, all scrapped or sold to other countries.
 * 🇭🇺 – Strela-10 and SNAR-10
 * Islamic State
 * lit. – 10 retired.
 * 🇵🇱 – 15 retired
 * – Passed on to successor states.
 * 🇸🇪 – 460 (Locally designated Pbv 401, former East German, bought in 1993, then decommissioned gradually until the last 147 examples were sold to Finland in 2011)
 * undefined