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TL;DR: A Kazakhstani BTR-80 fitted with the Chinese GCTWM turret.
Pictures are censored just in case. Original pictures can be found in the sources.
History:
First entering service in 1986, the BTR-80 was the newest in a growing line of Soviet 8x8 armored cars/APCs, succeeding and largely replacing the BTR-60 and BTR-70 in Soviet service. In its most basic configuration, the BTR-80 was fitted with a simple one-man turret equipped with a 14.5mm KPVT HMG, a perfect middle ground between anti-personnel and anti-tank, however, as time progressed, cracks in this armament choice began to show. At longer ranges, the KPVT’s effectiveness against more armored targets nosedived noticeably. As such, in the early 1990s, an upgrade focused solely on increasing lethality began. This upgrade would eventually enter production in 1994 under the name BTR-80A. The new vehicle would feature the BPPU turret fitted with the 30mm 2A72 and would become the standard for offensive BTR-80s going forward. Three years prior, the Soviet Union had fallen and and a large number of the existing BTR-80 fleet would be inherited by the many countries under it. One of these countries was Kazakhstan, who would acquire around 190 standard BTR-80s. As to be expected, the lackluster armament left the Kazakhstan military unsatisfied and plans to obtain the shiny new BTR-80A were quickly underway. These would be delivered from the late 1990s through the early 2000s. By 2020, Kazakhstan would have around 90 BTR-80As in service. While this was all well and good for the time, the BTR-80A’s flaws would soon make themselves known, the biggest being the turret’s complete lack of a any sort of stabilizer, making it nearly impossible to engage targets on the move. Russia knew very well of this limitation and began development on what would later become the BTR-82A. Not wanting to be left behind or wait and see if their deal to acquire BTR-82As would go through, Kazakhstan took matters into their own hands. In May of 2013, Kazakhstan would host the first military parade in its entire history at the 40th Otar Military Base. After this event, a modest equipment display would be held with two of the displayed vehicles being BTR-80s modernized with the NORINCO Gun Combined Turret Weapon Module, or GCTWM turret, which mounted the 30mm ZPZ02 and, optionally, the HJ73 ATGM. One vehicle would be in a stock armor configuration while the other would feature an additional armor kit in the form of applique steel plates and SLAT. Both vehicles would visibly lack the optional ATGM rail, potentially indicating the Kazakhstan military had no interest in employing the HJ73 alongside the turret. The exact details of these vehicles’ history remains unknown, however, they were likely the product of a hidden direct cooperation between NORINCO and the Kazakhstan military. Unfortunately, these vehicles would appear at an inopportune time as shipments of BTR-82As had started arriving in 2011 and 2012, effectively making the modernization redundant, potentially only being displayed for publicity. As expected, the modernized BTR-80s would never be seen again after the event and it’s possible that they were returned to their original configurations.
Place In War Thunder:
Autocannon carriers are becoming more and more of a proven vehicle class in War Thunder. It’s only fair that each nation gets one. This Kazakhstani BTR-80 modification would be an interesting addition for either Russia or China. Russia due to the base vehicle being of Soviet origin and China due to the modification likely being the result of direct cooperation with NORINCO. Neither nation is in dire need of premium alternatives to potential equivalent tech tree autocannon carriers so both options are equally valid on the surface level. Gameplay wouldn’t be anything unexpected. The BTR-80 (GCTWM) is pretty much just a stabilized BTR-80A with APFSDS. As such, you expect any strategy employed by the BTR-80A to work for the BTR-80 (GCTWM). Spawn in, speed over to a strong position, and open up on the sides of the enemy. The armor is still terrible, however, with the additional armor kit, you can now at expect to at least survive .50cal and distant 20mm fire. Unfortunately, alongside this slight boost to armor comes a tremendous hit to firepower. Neither of the BTR-80 (GCTWM)s displayed featured ATGMs or even launch rails, meaning that 30mm has to do all the heavy lifting. As previously stated, the most reasonable way, at present, to see this vehicle implemented is as either a premium or event vehicle. It’s a strange two-off modernization, carried out between an unusual cast of characters, only showcased a single time and never adopted. On top of this, it’s not anything fantastic or game changing that doesn’t have a tech tree alternative.
Specifications:
Armament: 30mm ZPZ02 autocannon and 1x 7.62mm MG
Dimensions: 7.65m, 2.90m, 3.00~m (L,W,H)
Weight: 12100~kg
Armor: Same as BTR-80A in-game (+ at least 10mm of additional armor and SLAT if equipped with the armor package)
Crew: 3
Ammunition: Same as QN506 in-game
Speed: 90~kph
Horsepower: 260hp
Picture:
Additional Armor Kit (Notice the complete lack of ATGM launch rail atop the turrets):
Sources:
BTR-80 - Wikipedia
https://read01.com/zh-cn/PMaa5BN.html
Army Guide
Казахстан планирует установку китайского боевого модуля на БТР-80 — Военный информатор
ODIN - OE Data Integration Network
Казахстан решил модернизировать свои БТР-80 при помощи китайцев?
Советские Т-62, Т-64, Т-72, американский "Хаммер", турецкая "Кобра" и французская "Шерпа" - в боевом строю казахской армии
