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MT-LB Variants

The MT-LB chassis also has become the basis for a variety of other vehicles. The MT-LB's primary role is to provide transport and support for infantry troops and light equipment on the battlefield. It can also be used for towing artillery, serving as an armored ambulance, carrying out reconnaissance missions, and providing command and control support. Due to its versatility, the MT-LB has been adapted into various specialized variants, such as the MT-LBV with wider tracks for better performance in snowy or swampy terrain, and the 9K35 Strela-10, an anti-aircraft missile system based on the MT-LB chassis. Many countries have also developed their own local modifications and versions of the MT-LB to suit their particular requirements. Russian AG-17 30-mm automatic grenade launcher modification is available for use on MT-LB. Russian KBP offers a drop-in one-man turret, called Kliver, with a stabilized 2A72 30-mm gun, a 4 Kornet ATGM launcher, thermal sights, and improved fire control system.

• MT-LB Upgrade: 1995 upgrade includes improved steering and a new engine.
• MT-LB "blade": Dozer version with a blade attached to the vehicle.
• MT-LBM (izdeliye 6M) MT-LB modernization developed by Muromteplovoz in the 1990s. It can be fitted with several different turrets.
• MT-LBM (izdeliye 6MA) MT-LBM fitted with a turret from BTR-80, with a KPVT 14.5mm machine gun and co-axial PKT 7.62mm machine gun.
• MT-LBM (izdeliye 6MA1) MA armed with additional AGS-17 30 mm automatic grenade launcher.
• MT-LBM (izdeliye 6MA4) MA1 armed with KPVB 23x115 mm instead of KPVT 14.5 mm heavy machine gun.
• MT-LBM (izdeliye 6MA2) MA armed with KPVB 23x115 mm instead of KPVT 14.5 mm heavy machine gun.
• MT-LBM (izdeliye 6MA3) MT-LBM armed with four 9M133 Kornet ATGM launchers, 7.62 mm PKTM tank machine gun and an AGS-30 30 mm automatic grenade launcher.
• MT-LBM (izdeliye 6 MB) MT-LBM fitted with a turret from BTR-80A, using a 2A72 30 mm autocannon and co-axial PKT 7.62mm machine gun.
• MT-LBM (izdeliye 6MB2) MB armed with AGS-17 30 mm.
• MT-LBM (izdeliye 6MB3) MT-LBM armed with GSh-23V 23 mm, AGS-30 30 mm and "Kord" 12.7 mm.
• MT-LBM (izdeliye 6MB4) MT-LBM armed with GSh-30K 30 mm, AGS-30 30 mm and "Kord" 12.7 mm.
• MT-LBM (izdeliye 6MB5) MT-LBM armed with twin gun 23 or 30 mm, "Igla" SAM and equipped with improved sights.
• MT-LBM1 (izdeliye 6M1) MT-LBM fitted with 300-310 hp engine.
• MT-LBM2 - MT-LBM upgrade package developed by Kurganmashzavod with new engine and transmission, improved suspension, BMP style side skirts etc. Prototype.
• MT-LBV: Arctic variant with .57m wide track for snow and improved flotation.
• MT-LBVMK - modification of MT-LBVM with "Kord" 12.7 mm machine gun instead of NSVT 12.7 mm.
• MT-LBu [ M1974] -- Expanded variant for artillery command and reconnaissance vehicles (ACRVs) and other applications uses the same basic chassis as the 122-mm self-propelled howitzer 2S1. The small turret at the front of the MT-LB is removed, and a larger turret is mounted on the rear half of the vehicle. The shape and layout of the MT-LBu is as per the MT-LB, but the hull is longer by one road wheel, which gives a total of seven per side. The MT-LBu and any vehicles based upon it can be distinguished by the number of road wheels per side; seven on the MT-LBu and six on MT-LB.
• MT-LBu "Toros" - The Toros is an Arctic adapted vehicle developed by Muromteplovoz based on the MT-LBu chassis. It is used for carrying personnel, transporting loads, infantry fire support, and escort and guard missions in Arctic conditions. In addition to deep cold, this vehicle can operate in mountainous areas up to 3,000 meters above sea level, and up to 4,000 meters with some modifications. Is armed with a 30mm autocannon 2A42, PKMT 7.62mm machine gun, and 30mm AGS-17D grenade launcher, and equipped with a snowplow. Toros is able to operate in -45°C.
• MTP-LB - Technical support version with no turret, an A-frame and stowage on the roof.
• MT-SON: Ground surveillance radar vehicle with Pork Trough/SNAR-2 radar.
• R-330P Piramida-I - an EW vehicle designed to jam simple VHF communications. It is thought to be an export variant of a legacy Soviet system and may not have the capacity of modern Russian systems. The Piramida-I is understood to be fitted with a VHF jammer system with an output between 20 and 100 MHz and with a range of 25 km. There are some reports that the system was used by Government forces in Syria to prevent enemy forces from communicating effectively.
• R-381T "Taran" - divisional Sigint set (kompleks radiotekhnicheskoj razvedki) that replaced the R-381 "Rama" set on the GAZ-66 truck. A complete set normally consists of 7 vehicles in three different models: R-381T1 "Taran 1" – interceptor station (×2); R-381T2 "Taran 2" – direction-finding station (×4); R-381T3 "Taran 3" – control vehicle for the T1 and T2 (×1). The Taran 1 is a radio interceptor based on the MT-LBu. It is believed to be a legacy Soviet system and it operates in coordination with the Taran 2 and Taran 3 vehicles.
• RKhM: Chemical reconnaissance vehicle.
• SNAR-10: Ground surveillance radar vehicle -- The artillery-associated radar BIG FRED is mounted on the rear half of the MT-LB chassis. Unlike the 2S1 and the ACRV M1974, the chassis of the radar variant does not appear to be lengthened. It still has the original six- road-wheel suspension and retains the MT-LB's small front turret with its 7.62-mm machine gun. It also has the two rear exit doors of the original MT-LB.
• 2S1: 122-mm self-propelled howitzer, introduced in 1974, is mounted on the MT-LBu chassis derived from the MT-LB. Compared to the MT-LB, the 2S1 is somewhat longer (7.40 m versus 6.45 m) and has seven road wheels (versus six).
• 2S24 - Mortar carrier with 2B24 (or 2B14 "Podnos") 82 mm mortar and 83 rounds. The system designator for the carrier vehicle, mortar, and ammunition is 2K32 "Deva". The 2S24 was designed by TsNII "Burevestnik" and has a crew of five. In service with RF Interior Ministry.
• SA-13 Regimental surface-to-air missile transporter-erector-launcher (TEL), introduced around 1980, is also based on the MT-LB chassis.
• 9P149/Shturm-S: ATGM launcher vehicle with AT-6 autoloader.
• 2M-3 25-mm improvised 25-mm double-barreled automatic naval anti-aircraft gun
• A-22 "Ogon" 140mm MRL improvised MRL 140-mm fragmentation and incendiary unguided rockets

• Ukrainian MT-LB-12 self-propelled 100mm gun is an improvised vehicle made from an MT-LB chassis and T-12 AT gun- compared to a standalone gun this has improved elevation angles/mobility.

These variants were chosen because they are linked to the Russian Federation and will likely be the most modern / upgraded. There are more than 50 additional variants to the MT-LB. The term "hillbilly hardware" is colloquial term for homemade or improvised equipment. So-called “hillbilly” armor is unit-fabricated using whatever materials can be scrounged.

In late 2001 the Russian Federation deployed in Chechnya limited numbers of two new variants of the MT-LB Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), the BERKUT and the KONDOR. Both variants had characteristics of armored combat vehicles (ACVs) as defined in Article II of the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE), but neither vehicle was listed in the Protocol on Existing Types (POET), nor were States Party notified that either vehicle had entered into service with the Russian armed forces in the CFE area of application (AoA).

Subsequently, a US-led inspection of a Russian facility in October 2002 observed a large number of these vehicles. The Russians briefed the presence of close to 100 MT-LB variants, some of which they indicated as having arrived at the facility the previous year, and declared them to be used exclusively for research and development (R&D). As in 2001, Russia did not report these vehicles in its annual data exchange. In December 2002, when questioned in Vienna by U.S. experts on the margins of a meeting of the Joint Consultative Group (JCG), the Russians stated that they were not R&D vehicles, but belonged to the manufacturer and were still undergoing manufacturer’s testing and development. They also stated that if these MT-LB variants eventually entered into service they would issue the appropriate CFE notification. The United States continued to follow up with Russian authorities. In December 2003, after an entire combat battalion had been equipped with the Kondors (one of the two MT-LB variants in question) the Russians notified the entry into force of these two new MT-LB ACVs and included them in their data as of January 1, 2004.

The CFE Treaty requires that all items assigned to the armed forces and fitting the definition of a Treaty limited item of Equipment (TLE) be included in annual data exchanges and that notification be given when they enter into service, as well as whenever the number of TLE assigned to a unit or installation changes by ten percent or more. The Treaty also requires that items in an R&D status also be included in the annual data exchanges. Article III of the Treaty states that all TLE within the AoA "shall be subject to the numerical limitations and other provisions" of the Treaty "with the exception of those which in a manner consistent with a State Party’s normal practices . . . are used exclusively for the purposes of research and development." However, there is no Treaty provision requiring reporting of holdings of equipment in Treaty limited categories that "are owned by a manufacturer and are in the process of manufacture, including manufacturing-related testing."

The Russian press portrayed the Kondor and Berkut as "prime movers" that are in the testing phase of research and development (R&D). Later in 2001, the Russian press reported that a "company of modernized light-armor prime movers comprising some 10-12 vehicles" was undergoing military tests in Chechnya. The press also reported that both vehicles carry a crew of two and a squad of at least eight. Both variants are externally similar to the MT-LB APC except that the standard MT-LB has a 7.62-mm machine gun on a small, conical turret at the front, right side of the vehicle. Article II defines ACVs as self-propelled vehicles with armored protection and a cross-country capability. ACVs include APCs, armored infantry fighting vehicles (AIFVs), and heavy armament combat vehicles (HACVs).

By definition, APCs are designed and equipped to carry an infantry squad (not further defined) and as a rule are armed with an integral or organic weapon of less than 20-mm caliber. By contrast, AIFVs are designed and equipped primarily to carry an infantry squad (which normally can deliver fire from inside the vehicle) and are armed with an integral or organic cannon of at least 20-mm caliber and sometimes an antitank missile launcher, while HACVs have an integral direct fire gun of at least 75-mm caliber and weigh at least six metric tons, but do not fall within the definition of an APC, an AIFV, or a battle tank. On the basis of Treaty Article II definitions and the characteristics of the Berkut and Kondor vehicles, the Berkut variant that is armed with either a 14.5-mm or 12.7-mm gun and carries an infantry squad met the Treaty definition of an APC. Similarly, the Kondor variant that is armed with a 30-mm gun and carries an infantry squad met the Treaty definition of an AIFV.

The question then arose as to whether these Berkut and Kondor vehicles were correctly excluded from declaration, either because they were being used exclusively for R&D in a manner consistent with Russia’s normal practices, or because they met the manufacturing exclusion. One U.S. concern was that the number of MT-LB variants observed during the 2002 inspection (close to 100) was far higher than the average number of ACVs Russia reported over the past ten years as used exclusively for R&D -- an average of under 50, with a high of over 60 and a low of under 20. Another concern was reconciling the December 2002 statement that the roughly 100 vehicles at a Russian military facility belonged to the manufacturer and were being used by him for test and evaluation purposes with the statement made by Russian escorts at the October 2002 inspection that the vehicles were used exclusively for R&D.