Oryx documented BTR-152M armored personnel carriers in the pre-war Yemeni Army inventory and described that inventory as equipment available to battlefield parties after the Houthi takeover. Defense Express separately documents a BTR-152-family GSh-6-30K/AK-630-style conversion with Yemeni government forces, but does not identify that vehicle as the M variant.
Role detailsArmored Vehicles
BTR-152M armored personnel carrier
Also known as
- BTR-152M
- BTR 152M
- BTR-152 M
The BTR-152M armored personnel carrier is a Yemeni-service listing within the Soviet BTR-152 6x6 APC family, retained from older Yemeni Army stocks and documented during the 2014 Yemen Civil War. Public evidence supports a conservative role: legacy protected mobility where serviceable vehicles remained available, plus broader BTR-152-family use as a base for improvised AK-630 or GSh-6-30K naval-gun installations by Yemeni government forces.
Role in Conflicts
Yemeni Service Context
The Yemen-specific record is narrower than the general BTR-152 family page. Oryx identifies BTR-152M vehicles in the pre-war Yemeni Army armored-personnel-carrier inventory, while later reporting on Yemeni government forces describes BTR-152-family hulls adapted for heavy naval-gun installations without confirming the exact M subvariant.
Evidence boundary
Treat the M designation as a Yemeni inventory/configuration label unless a stronger production-standard source is available.
Battlefield role
The source-backed role is legacy protected movement and possible improvised fire support, not a modern APC procurement program.
Related family use
Houthi M167/Vulcan use belongs on the general BTR-152 page, keeping this page focused on Yemeni government and pre-war inventory evidence.
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Soviet Union; Yemeni service and local modification context
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Type
- 6x6 wheeled armored personnel carrier
- Service note
- Cold War design, retained in Yemeni service during the civil war
- Designer
- Soviet design team led by B. M. Fitterman
- Designed
- 1946-1949
- Produced
- 1950-1962
- Number built
- About 12,421 BTR-152-series vehicles according to WeaponSystems.net
Specifications
- Crew and passengers
- Typically 2 crew plus up to 17 passengers on open-top BTR-152-family APCs
- Weight
- About 8.6-9.0 tonnes combat load depending on variant
- Dimensions
- Approximately 6.56-6.83 m long, 2.32 m wide, and 2.36-2.41 m high depending on variant
- Armament
- Standard BTR-152 family used 7.62 mm SG-43 or SGMB machine guns; some vehicles carried 12.7 mm DShKM heavy machine guns, while Yemeni examples were reported with improvised AK-630/GSh-6-30K installations
- Mobility
- 6x6 wheeled chassis with road speed up to about 65-75 km/h depending on variant
- Protection
- Welded steel armor, roughly 13 mm frontal and 6-11 mm side protection on listed BTR-152-family data; open-roof troop compartment on standard APC variants
Variants
Oryx lists BTR-152M separately from BTR-152 in Yemen's pre-war armored-personnel-carrier inventory, while WeaponSystems.net's BTR-152 production-variant list covers BTR-152, BTR-152V, BTR-152V1, BTR-152K, and BTR-152U rather than documenting BTR-152M as a standard Soviet production mark.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| BTR-152 | Original open-top APC | WeaponSystems.net identifies the original BTR-152 as the 1950 production model on the ZiS-151 chassis. Sources: BTR-152 |
| BTR-152V | Improved chassis variant | WeaponSystems.net describes the BTR-152V as a 1955 update on the ZiL-157 chassis with external tire-pressure regulation and a front winch. Sources: BTR-152 |
| BTR-152V1 | Internal tire-pressure system variant | WeaponSystems.net dates the BTR-152V1 to 1957 and notes internal tire-pressure regulation and driver night vision. Sources: BTR-152 |
| BTR-152K | Enclosed-roof APC | WeaponSystems.net describes the BTR-152K as a roofed BTR-152V derivative with roof hatches and NBC filtration. Sources: BTR-152 |
Mounted Weapons
WeaponSystems says some BTR-152 vehicles were fitted with a 12.7 mm DShKM heavy machine gun as main armament.
| Carried item | Item type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 12.7 mm heavy machine gun | WeaponSystems says some BTR-152 vehicles were fitted with a 12.7 mm DShKM heavy machine gun as main armament. Sources: BTR-152, DShK - Weaponsystems.net |
Compatible Ammunition
Some BTR-152 vehicles carried a 12.7 mm DShKM heavy machine gun, which uses the 12.7x108mm cartridge family. WeaponSystems says the 7.62 mm SGMB flexible machine gun is commonly found on the BTR-152, and the 7.62x54mmR cartridge page identifies the SG-43 family as a user of that round.
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 12.7 mm heavy machine-gun cartridge | WeaponSystems notes that some BTR-152 vehicles were fitted with a 12.7 mm DShKM heavy machine gun, and Romarm lists 12.7x108 mm ammunition for DShKM and other 12.7x108 mm machine guns. |
 | Rimmed rifle cartridge | WeaponSystems says the 7.62 mm SGMB flexible machine gun is commonly found on the BTR-152, and its 7.62x54mm Russian cartridge page identifies the SG-43 family as a user of that round. Sources: BTR-152, 7.62x54mm Russian - Weaponsystems.net |
Timeline
BTR-152M armored personnel carrier Key Events
BTR-152 family development
WeaponSystems.net dates development of the BTR-152 family to 1946-1949 as a Soviet postwar wheeled APC program.
Sources: BTR-152
Original BTR-152 production model
WeaponSystems.net places the original BTR-152 production model and Soviet service entry in 1950.
Sources: BTR-152
Improved BTR-152 variants
The BTR-152V, BTR-152V1, and BTR-152K introduced chassis, tire-pressure, night-vision, roof, and NBC-protection changes within the family.
Sources: BTR-152
Yemeni inventory becomes wartime equipment pool
Oryx listed BTR-152M vehicles in the pre-war Yemeni Army inventory and described that inventory as equipment available to Yemeni battlefield parties after the Houthi takeover.
Sources: Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting Vehicles
Yemeni BTR-152 naval-gun conversion cited
Defense Express cited Yemeni government operation of BTR-152-family vehicles with AK-630 or GSh-6-30K gun installations, while leaving the exact BTR-152 subvariant unconfirmed.
Sources: New Russian Weapon Hybrid: AK-630 Naval Gun on a KamAZ Truck
Media
BTR-152M armored personnel carrier Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting VehiclesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context: BTR-152M was listed in the pre-war Yemeni Army inventory that Oryx described as equipment available to Yemeni parties on the battlefield after the Houthi takeover. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Romarm 12.7x108mm ammunition datasheetPublisher: Romarm | Note: Supports 12.7x108 mm ammunition compatibility context for DShKM-pattern heavy machine guns. | Accessed: 2026-07-04New Russian Weapon Hybrid: AK-630 Naval Gun on a KamAZ TruckPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context for the BTR-152 family: Yemeni government forces operated BTR-152 armored vehicles with AK-630 or GSh-6-30K gun installations; the article does not identify the vehicle as BTR-152M. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-152Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports BTR-152-family background, manufacturer and production context, variants, mobility, protection, armament, and dimensions. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-152 | The Littlefield Collection | RM Sotheby'sPublisher: RM Sotheby's | Note: Supports additional BTR-152-family dimensions, crew, armor, armament, engine, range, speed, service background, and specialized variant context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04DShK - Weaponsystems.netPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports the DShK/DShKM family background and the documented BTR-152 mounting relationship. | Accessed: 2026-07-047.62x54mm Russian - Weaponsystems.netPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports 7.62x54mmR background and the SG-43 family ammunition-compatibility context used on BTR-152 vehicles with SGMB mounts. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-152 in Batey ha-Osef Museum imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for the primary BTR-152-family gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-152 in Yad la-Shiryon Museum imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for a second BTR-152-family gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-152W in Warsaw imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for an additional BTR-152-family gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04