Profile
- Type
- 6x6 wheeled armored personnel carrier
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Origin
- Soviet Union; Yemeni service and local modification context
- Service note
- Cold War design, retained in Yemeni service during the civil war
Armored Vehicles
BTR-152M armored personnel carrier
The BTR-152M armored personnel carrier is a Yemeni-service member of the Soviet BTR-152 6x6 APC family, retained from older Yemeni Army stocks and documented during the Yemen Civil War. In Yemen it appears less as a modern troop carrier than as a legacy protected-mobility platform and a base for improvised heavy weapon installations, including reported AK-630 or GSh-6-30K naval-gun conversions.
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Built in
- Soviet Union
Service History
- In service
- Entered Soviet service in 1950; later exported widely and retained in legacy inventories
- Used by
- Yemeni Army, Yemeni government-aligned forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Soviet design team led by B. M. Fitterman
- Designed
- 1946-1949
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Produced
- 1950-1962
- Number built
- About 12,421 BTR-152-series vehicles according to WeaponSystems.net
- Variants
- BTR-152, BTR-152V, BTR-152V1, BTR-152K, BTR-152M Yemeni-service configuration
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
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Protected mobility and improvised fire support
BTR-152M armored personnel carriers were documented in the Yemeni Army's pre-war inventory and available to battlefield parties after the Houthi takeover; later reporting described Yemeni government forces operating BTR-152 vehicles with AK-630 or GSh-6-30K naval gun installations.
BTR-152M armored personnel carrier Images
Related Weapon Systems
Ratel BAU-23x2Wheeled armored vehicle with BAU-23x2 twin-23 mm weapon stationThe Ratel BAU-23x2 combines the South African Ratel 6x6 armored vehicle with a Ukrainian BAU-23x2 weapon station carrying twin 23 mm autocannon. Jordanian-modified Ratels were photographed and cataloged in Yemen, and open-source reporting identified Ratel BAU-23x2 vehicles with pro-government forces in Marib during the Yemen Civil War.
Al-Jawad armored vehicle4x4 armored personnel carrier / internal security vehicleThe Al-Jawad is a Jordanian 4x4 armored personnel carrier and internal-security vehicle developed by KADDB/JLVM with Jankel input around commercial heavy-duty chassis. In the Yemen Civil War context, open-source evidence identifies it in the Yemeni Army's pre-war infantry mobility inventory rather than as a newly supplied coalition vehicle.
Al-Shibl 2 armored vehicle4x4 light armored personnel carrierThe Al-Shibl 2 is a Saudi-built 4x4 light armored personnel carrier based on an upgraded commercial chassis. Its longer wheelbase gives it troop-carrying capacity beyond the Al-Shibl 1, while steel armor, run-flat tires, and roof weapon-mount options make it a protected mobility vehicle for patrol, border security, and convoy support roles.
Badger ILAV4x4 mine-resistant armored personnel carrierThe Badger ILAV is a 4x4 International Light Armored Vehicle derived from the Cougar MRAP family, built to move troops with better mine and improvised-explosive-device protection than light trucks. Yemen received a small number before the civil war, and open-source imagery places the type among armored vehicles visible in Houthi-controlled Yemen.
BTR-40M armored personnel carrierWheeled armored personnel carrierThe BTR-40M is a Yemeni-listed variant of the Soviet BTR-40, a small 4x4 armored personnel carrier originally built by GAZ for reconnaissance, command, and troop transport. In the Yemen Civil War record it appears as legacy Yemeni Army armor: useful for light protected mobility, but far less protected than modern APCs and documented with limited public detail on exact operators.
Jalal 3 armored vehicleLight 4x4 armored personnel carrierThe Jalal 3 is a Yemeni-built light 4x4 armored personnel carrier developed from a commercial-vehicle base for troop movement, urban security, and protected mobility. Open sources describe machine-gun turret options and small-arms protection, while Yemen Civil War evidence is limited to local reporting and wartime imagery rather than comprehensive official fleet records.Sources
Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting VehiclesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct-use context: BTR-152M was fielded by the pre-war Yemeni Army and listed as equipment available to Yemeni parties on the battlefield. | Accessed: 2026-06-20New Russian Weapon Hybrid: AK-630 Naval Gun on a KamAZ TruckPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct-use context: BTR-152 vehicles were used by Yemeni government forces with AK-630 or GSh-6-30K gun installations. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BTR-152Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports BTR-152-family background, manufacturer and production context, variants, mobility, protection, armament, and dimensions. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BTR-152 in Batey ha-Osef Museum imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for the primary BTR-152-family gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BTR-152 in Yad la-Shiryon Museum imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for a second BTR-152-family gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BTR-152W in Warsaw imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for an additional BTR-152-family gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20