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BTR-80U “Grom”: Turkmen Thunder
History:
Turkmenistan, like most post-Soviet nations, was left in somewhat of a difficult position militarily following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Being left with only what vehicles were stationed there at the time, they had to make do with fairly outdated equipment, even by 20th century standards. T-72 Urals and T-72As backed up by BMP-1s and a few BMP-2s would not be capable of protecting a nation into the 21st century. As a result, Turkmenistan has invested heavily in defense, modernizing their old vehicles and purchasing new ones. This resulted in a number of international military contracts with nations as varied as China, Israel, Serbia, and Ukraine. The Ukrainian contract has proven to be one of the most interesting, with three vehicle modification packages being purchased: the T-72UMG, BTR-80U “Grom”, and BMP-1U “Shkval”.
Signed sometime in the early 2000s, the contract with Ukraine aimed to modernize several obsolescent vehicles in the service of the Turkmenistan Ground Forces. One of those was the BTR-80. While Turkmenistan also possessed a number of BTR-80As, they weren’t seen as enough. As a result, some BTR-80s and/or BTR-80As were converted to the BTR-80U standard and equipped with the “Grom” turret by Ukraine. Similar to the BMP-1U “Shkval” upgrade, this modification was a very straightforward turret swap, enhancing the firepower and fire control of the vehicle and transforming it into a modern and highly capable IFV. They are likely to remain in service with Turkmenistan for years to come, providing a small but not insubstantial boost to their mobile firepower.
A Note on Numbers: Information on exact numbers is somewhat hard to come by, given Turkmenistan’s closed nature. Military Review 2024 states that Turkmenistan has 8 BTR-80A/BTR-80U vehicles in their arsenal, but they are grouped together and have both been seen in recent military parades, so it is unclear as to how many have been converted.
A Note on Engines: KMDB, the Ukrainian company behind the various modernizations performed on Turkmenistan’s armor, also offers an engine upgrade for the BTR-80. I have not been able to find any information on whether or not this was carried out but given that neither the T-72UMG nor BMP-1U “Shkval” had their original engines replaced, it is unlikely that the BTR-80U “Grom” did.
Description:
As previously mentioned, the BTR-80U upgrade is a simple one, consisting of a turret swap to the unmanned “Grom” universal combat module. The “Grom” is not the prettiest turret out there, but it is well-equipped, armed with a 30mm ZTM-2 autocannon (a local copy of the 2A42 used on the BMP-2), a 7.62mm KT-7.62 machine gun (a local copy of the PKT), a 30mm KBA-117 automatic grenade launcher (a local copy of the AGS-17), and either four 9M113 Konkurs or Bar’yer ATGMs. In the case of Turkmenistan, it is equipped with the 9M113 Konkurs. The SVU-1000 two-plane stabilizer ensures accuracy while on the move.
Information on the sights and fire control system is limited, but certain elements are known. According to Army Guide, the 1K14 fire control system is present, though details are limited. It also apparently uses the PNK-5 commander’s sight normally found on T-72 MBTs, though the veracity of this claim should be taken with a grain of salt. The source I’d like to use requires a paid account, so I cannot fully access it at this time (P.S. If you have an account with Military Periscope, please let me know!). The “Grom” turret also features the LINKEY-SPZ laser warning receiver, and it can be assumed that a laser rangefinder and thermal sights are present, as they are on other, similar turrets from Ukraine.
Specifications:
Spoiler
Main Armament: 30mm ZTM-2 autocannon
Secondary Armament: 7.62mm KT-7.62 machine gun
Tertiary Armament: 30mm KBA-117 automatic grenade launcher, 4x 9M113 Konkurs ATGMs
Ammo Count: 360 30mm cannon rounds, 1200 7.62mm rounds, 150 30mm grenades, 4-8 ATGMs (unsure if reload is carried)
NVDs: Gunner thermal (assumed), Commander passive
Gun Movement: +50/-10° elevation
Smoke: 8x 81mm smoke grenade launchers
All other specifications identical to BTR-80A
Gallery:
Unfortunately, there seem to be very few available images of the BTR-80U in Turkmen service, so some images of Ukrainian prototypes will be included for completeness, possibly using BTR-70 hulls.
If there is anything I have missed or gotten incorrect, please let me know! I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope you will also check out my other suggestions! Thanks, and have a great day.
Sources:
Spoiler
Friendship Through Arms: Turkmenistan’s Fighting Vehicles - Oryx
Army Guide
Overview — Grom universal fighting module — Combat Vehicle Guns — Artillery/Guns — Weapons — Military Periscope
Glavcom: Ukrainian combat modules
WarWheels.net -BTR-4 Armored Personnel Carrier (GROM Turret) Photos
List of equipment of the Turkmen Ground Forces - Wikipedia
BTR-70 and BTR-80 Armoured Personnel Carriers | MorozovKMDB
