MT-LB - Program
The MT-LB (which stands for "Mnogotselevoy Tyagach Legky Bronirovanny," or "Multi-Purpose Towing Vehicle Light Armored") is a Soviet multi-purpose fully amphibious auxiliary armored tracked vehicle. It was first introduced in the 1960s and has been widely exported and used by many countries around the world. The MT-LB armored transporter-tractor was created at the Kharkiv Tractor Plant for the transportation of ammunition and medium field artillery.
The American M113 and the Soviet MT-LB are both armored personnel carriers (APCs) massively produced and widely used by various military forces around the world. They have been widely used and proven in many conflicts. However, differences between the two platforms arise from their design philosophy, origin, and intended use.
The M113 American APC was first fielded in the early 1960s, while the MT-LB Soviet-designed APC entered service around the same time. Both the M113 and MT-LB have a multitude of variants, serving as the basis for a wide range of vehicles including command vehicles, ambulances, and mortar carriers, among others. The M113 was extensively used by the US Army and has been exported widely. The MT-LB has also seen use by the armies of the Warsaw Pact and other nations, particularly in Eastern Europe and Asia.
The M113 was designed as an APC, while MT-LB started life as a tractor and utility vehicle. The original design decisions still showing - M113 is much taller and therefore more comfortable for troops, while the MT-LB's lower profile makes it a less prominent target when facing the enemy [though being shorter isn't as much of a stealth advantage as it was half a century ago]. The M113 can carry up to 11 personnel (including a driver and a commander), while the MT-LB typically carries up to 11 as well, including the crew. Both vehicles provide protection against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters, but are vulnerable to heavier weapons and anti-armor munitions.
The M113 is known for its lightweight design, utilizing aluminum armor that allows it to be air transportable and amphibious while still providing reasonable protection against small arms fire and artillery fragments. It uses a gasoline engine for power. The MT-LB, on the other hand, is a tracked armored vehicle that is slightly heavier than the M113. It's also amphibious, and is powered by a diesel engine, which typically provides more range and durability than gasoline engines.
The MT-LB has a small armored turret, while the M113's weapon mount is exposed. The M113 is typically armed with a .50 cal M2 machine gun, although it can also mount other types of weapons. The MT-LB, in its standard form, has a 7.62mm machine gun, but it too can carry different armaments depending on the variant.
Before the beginning of the Second World War, the Kharkiv Tractor Plant [KhTZ] simply experimented and tried to "weaponize" tractors, as well as produce military equipment. After the end of the Second World War, HTZ became one of the largest developers and manufacturers of military tracked vehicles (VGM). Two years later, after the end of the bloody events in the whole world, namely in 1947, a design bureau was organized at the Kharkiv plant, the purpose of which was to develop army high-speed tracked vehicles.
The technical task for the development of the tractor was approved in the late 1950s. The need for such development was connected with the appearance of new artillery systems and changes in the concept of their combat use. With the adoption of the Soviet Army's 100-mm MT-12 "Rapir" smoothbore anti-tank gun and 122-mm D-30 howitzer for their towing to firing positions, ordinary cars became ineffective.
The USSR needed an armored tractor with a low silhouette and high cross-country ability and maneuverability. The first light armored multi-purpose tractor was produced in 1964 in Kharkiv. It was created by the specialized design bureau of the Kharkiv Tractor Plant [KhTZ] under the leadership of chief designer Anatoly Bilousov. Russians prefer not to mention that this is a development of the Kharkiv plant.
When choosing constructive solutions, the main emphasis at the plant was on the possibility of creating a wide range of machines with a combined engine with service systems, chassis, transmission, electrical equipment, control, means of communication and life support.
The progenitor of such machines was the floating light multipurpose transporter-tractor (MT-LB), which was developed at KhTZ in 1964. It is also interesting that at the factory it was made in an armored and non-armored version. Serial production of the MT-LB began in 1966. In this machine, the workers of the Kharkiv plant successfully implemented a large number of contradictory requirements. In addition, it is worth noting that thanks to successful layout decisions, as well as the ratio of cost and efficiency, its main parameters over a long period of time remained at the same level as much newer similar machines.
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