MT-LB - Design
The MT-LB is a lightly armored vehicle that can carry up to 11 personnel. It is powered by a diesel engine and can travel at speeds up to 60 km/h (37 mph) on roads, and 30 km/h (19 mph) off-road. The vehicle is versatile and can be adapted to a wide range of uses. The basic version has a small turret on the roof, mounting a PKT 7.62 mm machine gun. It has a very low profile and good mobility, allowing it to operate in a variety of environments, including forested or marshy areas.
The MT-LB is an amphibious armored tracked vehicle. It has a low-silhouette, box-like hull made of welded steel plates, and a small turret on the right front that mounts a single 7.62-mm machine gun. There are four firing ports: one on each side of the vehicle and one in each of the two rear exit doors. The flat hull roof has two forward opening, troop exit hatches. The flat-track suspension consists of six road wheels with no return rollers.
The MT-LB can employ an extra-wide track with an "aggressive' grouser to make over-snow and swamp operations easier. The wide-tracked version, designated MT-LBV, has a track which is 565 millimeters wide, compared to the normal 350-mm-wide track. The wider track reduces ground pressure from 0.46 to only 0.28 kilograms per square centimeter.
The MT-LB is a multipurpose vehicle. When used as an APC or command vehicle, it can carry ten personnel besides its two-man crew (driver and commander-gunner). It also serves as a prime mover for various types of artillery. In this case, it can also carry the artillery crew of six to ten personnel. It frequently served as prime mover for the 100-mm antitank gun T-12. As a cargo and general transport vehicle, it has a cargo capacity of 2.0 metric tons. (Its towed load is 6.5 metric tons.) The Soviets use the wide-tracked MT-LBV as a soft-terrain vehicle.
The tractor had three compartments. The control department was located in the front part of the building. The crew of the car, consisting of two people, was placed in it. Defensive armament - 7.62-mm PKT machine gun, located under a rotating conical tower without a hatch. The tower is installed in the right part of the control compartment, the function of the shooter was performed by the commander of the machine. In the left part - the driver's hatch, his seat, control mechanisms and power transmission units.
For the communication of the control room with the landing compartment on the right side of the engine there was a passage in which two folding seats were installed. A single seat was also located near the rear bulkhead of the engine. Two fuel tanks were located longitudinally in the aft compartment. Each tank had a foam cushion on top and served as a bench for four people. Two more tanks were mounted on crawler shelves.
The welded sealed body of armored steel provided bulletproof protection. Power from the engine was transmitted to the drive wheels through a mechanical transmission. The two-flow MPP included a two-disc dry friction main clutch, a six-speed gearbox and two final planetary gears. It provided two fixed turning radii in each gear, as well as an unstable neutral turn with a radius approximately half the width of the track. Control of the rotation of the machine was carried out with the help of two levers.
To overcome the water obstacle, hydrodynamic shields were installed and the air intake pipe was lengthened. Movement afloat was carried out with the help of a crawler motor. Hollow support rollers were made of aluminum alloy, telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers were installed on the front and rear suspension units. Individual torsion suspension was used in the suspension system.
In the conditions of hostilities, a significant advantage of the MT-LB, which is also known as a "motoliga", was the height of the hull - less than two meters - which allows the MT-LB to hide from enemy fire in the folds of the terrain and operate near the front line. In some units it is used to transport personnel of motorized rifle units, although it was not intended for this role, unlike the BTR-60s that were adopted earlier).
A 122mm 2S1 "Carnation" howitzer can also be mounted on the MT-LB chassis. The gun produced in the 70s of the last century still serves as a faith and truth not only to the Ukrainian army, but also to many others in the post-Soviet space. Over time, the MT-LB from an ordinary armored tractor turned into a universal chassis, on the basis of which a whole family of combat and auxiliary armored vehicles appeared. Currently, it includes more than 80 models and modifications - from artillery tractors to self-propelled anti-tank missile systems.
In addition to its role as a troop transporter, the MT-LB can also be configured for various other roles, such as a command vehicle, ambulance, artillery tractor, or recovery vehicle. It can also be fitted with a variety of weapons systems, depending on the specific requirements of the user. It has been modified and used as a platform for anti-aircraft systems, anti-tank missiles, and even as an improvised self-propelled gun.
The multi-purpose MT-LBu chassis was unique in terms of the number of deployed weapon systems and military equipment (the number is simply incredible - over 50). The Faltset-M complex (self-propelled artillery fire control automation complex - ed.) and the Zoopark-1 complex (reconnaissance and fire control radar complex - ed.) were based on it, as well as command and staff vehicles, and reconnaissance machines, and machines for communication and control of troops.
The MT-LB is known for its simplicity and reliability, which has helped it to remain in service in many countries despite its age. However, its light armor makes it vulnerable to heavy weapons and it is typically used in secondary or support roles on the modern battlefield.
MT-LB is a floating machine, on water it can develop a speed of up to 6 km/h due to the rotation of the tracks; the nominal carrying capacity at the same time is about 2 tons. The standard equipment also included a system of protection against weapons of mass destruction and night vision devices.
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