The government testing of the upgraded BTR-70 armoured personnel carrier, called Skif (Scythian), have been completed in the Ukraine.
The upgraded armoured personnel carrier is fitted with a Ukrainian-produced UTD-20 engine rather than the original two ZMZ-4905 carburettor-type engines of Russian origin.
Installation of the UTD-20 four-stroke six-cylinder V-type engine makes it possible to enhance the movility performance and to carry out the modernisation of the power pack of the BTR-70s in service with the Ukraine by efforts of the Ukrainian enterprises.
The trials have showed clearly that the modernisation did result in a increase of the vehicle's efficiency. The fuel distance has increased by 25% due to a considerable enhancement of fuel efficiency with the fuel capacity remaining the same.
The cross-country performance of the vehicle has also been improved due to the increase of engine's torque. The increase power-to-weight ratio improves the vehicle's agility as well as enabling it to be upgraded later on in the other areas.
The Skif vehicle was developed and tested by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau of Ukraine. The upgraded vehicles are to be manufactured at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence's Armour Repair Plant.
Sergyi Wey
15.02.2005