BTR-80A

This page is about the Soviet light tank BTR-80A. For the other version, see BTR-80A (Italy).

BTR-80A

SU-100P

BMP-1

BTR-80A

SU-100P

BMP-1

USSR

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.3	7.3	7.3

Class:

Light tank

Research:95 000

Purchase:270 000

Show in game

Description

In the post-World War II environment, the Soviet sought to provide their infantry with a method to remain mobile on the battlefield. While armoured units received BMPs to keep the armoured infantry mobile with the tanks, motorizing rifle divisions required a cheaper, more numerous transport to house all the infantry. The BTR series of armoured cars would first be modernized with the 8x8 wheeled BTR-60 in the 1960s, with updates into the BTR-70 and BTR-80 in their respective decades. The BTR-80 was distinguished from the preceding two variants with the usage of a diesel engine and turret modifications that allowed it to elevate the main armament to a high degree to engage in mountainous terrain or urban areas. The BTR-80 would receive an update in the 1990s that added the 30 mm 2A72 autocannon as its main armament in a new turret designated BPPU.

The BTR-80A, introduced in Update "La Royale", follows the trend of a light tank with an autocannon armament that can shred apart medium tanks in ambushes. Unlike its contemporaries like the Wiesel 1A4, the BTR-80A is a rather large vehicle, quite similar to the BMPs. Not to mention the wheeled design can interfere with cross-country mobility so that finding a good place to hide outside of urban terrain can be difficult. As such, finding a suitable hiding place to ambush the enemies with the autocannon can be complicated by the BTR-80A's size and wheeled performance. That said, the 30 mm 2A72 autocannon that is found on the BMP-3 packs a much higher punch with its APDS rounds. This allows the BTR-80A the ability to attack more enemies from a farther away distance with the 30 mm and should be exploited by watching common enemy travel routes from a distance to riddle their side armour to shreds.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull12 / 8 / 6

Turret23 / 23 / 13

Crew3 people

Visibility136 %

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	___ mm	___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom	___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Turret	___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Cupola	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm

Notes:

Mobility

Amphibious

The design allows you to swim and control movement in the water

Speedforward / back

AB97 / 14 km/h

RB and SB87 / 12 km/h

Number of gears10 forward

2 back

Weight14.6 t

Engine power

AB496 hp

RB and SB260 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB34.0 hp/t

RB and SB17.8 hp/t

While quite large and somewhat heavier than most other light IFVs such as the Wiesel, the BTR-80A boasts a very high top speed of 87 km/h which can be reached quite quickly on roads and trails. The downside of the 8 wheel design is its poor off-road mobility, however it is still quite nimble even on rough ground. It is very common to see BTR-80s rushing caps due to their high speed; they can capture points quite safely and then reposition to either scout or ambush enemy light/medium armour.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	97	14	14.6	403	496	27.6	33.97
Realistic	87	12		230	260	15.75	17.81

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 025 → 4 392

RB3 664 → 5 320

SB4 919 → 7 142

Total cost of modifications77 500

129 400

Talisman cost2 000

Crew training78 000

Experts270 000

Aces1 100

Research Aces670 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

110 / 160 / 200 %

190 / 190 / 190 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tires Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 165 Suspension Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 185 Brake System Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 185 Filters Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 350 Transmission Research: 4 300 Cost: 6 900 220 Engine Research: 4 300 Cost: 6 900 220	Improved Parts Research: 2 100 Cost: 5 200 165 Improved FPE Research: 2 300 Cost: 5 800 185 Crew Replenishment Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 350 Smoke grenade Research: 4 300 Cost: 6 900 220	Horizontal Drive Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 165 30mm_2a72_BTR_HE_ammo_pack Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 165 30mm_2a72_BTR_AP_ammo_pack Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 165 Adjustment of Fire Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 185 Airstrike Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 185 Elevation Mechanism Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 350 Artillery Support Research: 4 300 Cost: 6 900 220 Improved optics Research: 4 300 Cost: 6 900 220 30mm_2a42_APDS_ammo_pack Research: 4 300 Cost: 6 900 220

Armaments

Main armament

30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon

Ammunition300 rounds

Belt capacity150 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

1.3 → 1.0 s

Fire rate330 shots/min

Vertical guidance-5° / 70°

30 mm 2A72						Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	300 (150)	330	-5°/+70°	±180°	-	28.6	39.5	48.0	53.1	56.5	1.30	1.15	1.06	1.00
Realistic						17.9	21.0	25.5	28.2	30.0

Ammunition

• Default: AP-T · HEF-I* · AP-T · HEF-I*
• 30 mm HEI: HEF-I* · HEF-I* · HEF-I* · AP-T
• 30 mm APT: AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · HEF-T*
• 30 mm APDS: APDS · APDS · APDS · APDS · HEF-T*

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HEF-I*	8	7	6	5	4	3
AP-T	65	63	53	44	36	29
HEF-T*	9	8	7	5	4	3
APDS	82	81	79	75	72	69

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
HEF-I*	960	0.39	0.1	0.1	75.46	79°	80°	81°
AP-T	970	0.4	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
HEF-T*	960	0.39	0.1	0.1	17.86	79°	80°	81°
APDS	1,120	0.3	-	-	-	75°	78°	80°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
2	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Machine guns

7.62 mm PKT machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition2 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate700 shots/min

7.62 mm PKT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,000 (250)	700	-	-

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Effective 2A72 30 mm autocannon, the same one used on the BMP-3 and BMD-4
  • APDS is great for fighting against light vehicles and MBTs' sides
• Fairly mobile and thus very good at flanking
• Amphibious

Cons:

• Huge profile
• Poor survivability due to thin armour, minimal crew number and large size
• -5° gun depression and slow gun handling
• Has no stabiliser
• Relatively low power-to-weight ratio
• Can be destroyed by most heavy machine guns

History

The BTR-80 armored personnel carrier was developed with experience from using the previous vehicles of the series, BTR-60 and BTR-70, in peacetime and combat operations of the Afghan war. The vehicle received a new 260 hp engine, reinforced armor, improved fire ports for the small arms of the troops inside, as well as other improvements. The main gun of the BTR-80 remained a heavy machine gun, however, due to the low efficiency of machine gun fire against modern lightly armored targets, an improved version of the vehicle with a 30mm 2A72 autocannon appeared in 1993, designated as BTR-80A. Vehicles of the BTR-80 family took part in all major armed conflicts in the territory of the former USSR and a number of other countries. Despite the commissioning of more advanced APCs, the BTR-80A is still in service with the Russian Army to this day.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the BTR-80A from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] BTR-80A: Post-Soviet Vibe