Armored Vehicles

BTR-40M armored personnel carrier

Also known as
  • BTR-40M
  • BTR-40 M
  • Yemeni BTR-40M

The BTR-40M is a Yemeni-listed BTR-40-family armored personnel carrier, traced here to the Soviet GAZ-built 4x4 BTR-40 line rather than to a clearly defined factory variant. In the 2014 Yemen Civil War record it appears as legacy Yemeni Army armor: useful for light protected mobility and local transport, but documented in open sources with limited detail on modification standard, armament, units, or engagements.

BTR-40M armored personnel carrier, Wheeled armored personnel carrier, Armored Vehicles
Image source: BTR-40 at Yad la-Shiryon Museum Image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
Wheeled armored personnel carrier
Service note
1950s Soviet design documented in Yemeni inventory during the 2014-2015 civil-war takeover period
Designer
V. A. Dedkov design team at GAZ
Designed
1947-1950
Produced
1950-1960 for baseline BTR-40 family
Number built
About 8,500 BTR-40 family vehicles
Developed from
GAZ-63 utility truck

Specifications

Configuration
4x4 wheeled armored personnel carrier; BTR-40M is documented here as a Yemeni-listed BTR-40-family designation
Crew and passengers
Baseline BTR-40: crew of 2 with space for about 8 passengers; roofed BTR-40B references reduce passenger capacity to 6
Weight
About 5.3-5.8 tonnes for baseline BTR-40 family vehicles
Armor
Baseline BTR-40 references describe welded steel armor about 6-8 mm thick; exact BTR-40M protection is not independently specified
Engine
GAZ-40 6-cylinder gasoline engine, about 80 hp
Road speed
Up to about 80 km/h for baseline BTR-40 family vehicles
Operational range
About 430 km on road in several baseline BTR-40 references
Armament
Usual baseline fit was a 7.62 mm SGMB pintle machine gun; DShKM or KPVT heavy machine guns are documented as occasional BTR-40-family fits, not confirmed for the Yemeni BTR-40M
Variants

Oryx lists BTR-40M separately from BTR-40 in the pre-war Yemeni Army inventory, while the technical references checked for this entry define the standard Soviet family around BTR-40, BTR-40A, BTR-40V, BTR-40B, BTR-40Kh, and BTR-40ZhD. This page therefore treats BTR-40M as a Yemeni-listed BTR-40-family designation with an unclear modification standard.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
BTR-40 armored personnel carrier, Wheeled armored personnel carrier, Armored VehiclesBTR-40 armored personnel carrierBaseline BTR-40 family record

Standard references document the GAZ-built BTR-40 family and its main Soviet variants, while Oryx separately lists BTR-40M in Yemeni Army inventory without defining the modification standard.

Sources: Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting Vehicles, BTR-40 | Weaponsystems.net, BTR-40 Armored Personnel Carrier

Family Mounted Weapons

Baseline BTR-40 references identify the 7.62 mm SGMB as the usual pintle-mounted weapon. Weaponsystems.net also says BTR-40-family vehicles were occasionally fitted with 12.7 mm DShKM or 14.5 mm KPVT heavy machine guns, but the exact Yemeni BTR-40M armament is not identified in the checked sources.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
DShKM heavy machine gun, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry WeaponsDShKM heavy machine gun12.7 mm heavy machine gun

Weaponsystems.net says the BTR-40 family could occasionally be fitted with a 12.7 mm DShKM heavy machine gun; this is family-level armament evidence, not confirmation of the Yemeni BTR-40M fit.

Sources: BTR-40 | Weaponsystems.net

KPV, 14.5 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry WeaponsKPV14.5 mm heavy machine gun family

Weaponsystems.net says the BTR-40 family could occasionally be fitted with a 14.5 mm KPVT heavy machine gun; BTR-40A separately used a twin KPV/KPVT anti-aircraft mount.

Sources: BTR-40 | Weaponsystems.net, BTR-40A - Weaponsystems.net

Timeline

BTR-40M armored personnel carrier Key Events

  1. BTR-40 development period

    BTR-40 family references place development under V. A. Dedkov at GAZ and describe the vehicle as derived from the GAZ-63 4x4 truck.

  2. Baseline BTR-40 enters service

    Open references describe 1950 as the BTR-40 family's service-entry year and the beginning of Soviet production.

  3. BTR-40M listed in Yemeni Army inventory

    Oryx listed BTR-40M among pre-war Yemeni Army armored personnel carriers available during the 2014-2015 takeover period.

Media

BTR-40M armored personnel carrier Images

BTR-40M armored personnel carrier, Wheeled armored personnel carrier, Armored Vehicles - view 1
Source: BTR-40 at Kubinka Tank Museum Image
BTR-40M armored personnel carrier, Wheeled armored personnel carrier, Armored Vehicles - view 2
Source: BTR-40 at Kyiv Museum Image
Related Weapon Systems
BTR-152M armored personnel carrier, 6x6 wheeled armored personnel carrier, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesBTR-152M armored personnel carrier6x6 wheeled armored personnel carrierThe 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.
Panhard M3 armored personnel carrier, 4x4 amphibious armored personnel carrier, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesPanhard M3 armored personnel carrier4x4 amphibious armored personnel carrierThe Panhard M3 is a French 4x4 amphibious armored personnel carrier developed as an export troop carrier around the Panhard AML armored-car family. The design shared most AML automotive components but moved the powerpack behind the driver to free a rear troop compartment for two crew and up to ten infantry. In 2014 Yemen Civil War sourcing it appears as a legacy Yemeni Army M3 VTT inventory type rather than a newly supplied or incident-specific system, so the conflict row stays limited to protected troop-movement context where serviceable vehicles remained available.

Sources

Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting VehiclesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War context: BTR-40M listed among pre-war Yemeni Army armored personnel carriers and described as part of equipment available to Yemeni parties on the battlefield. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Republic of Yemen Country Profile 2022Publisher: National Intelligence Agency, Thailand | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War context: Houthi forces captured Yemeni government-base equipment including BTR-40-family armored vehicles during September 2014-February 2015; it does not specifically identify the BTR-40M designation. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-40 Armored Personnel CarrierPublisher: Military Factory | Note: Supports BTR-40 family background, production, GAZ manufacturer, dimensions, armor, engine, mobility, armament, variant, and operator context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-40 4x4 Armored Personnel CarrierPublisher: RM Sotheby's | Note: Supports BTR-40 background, Soviet origin, GAZ-63 truck basis, 1950 service entry, production total, and general crew and mobility data. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-40 | Weaponsystems.netPublisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Supports BTR-40 family origin, GAZ production, GAZ-63 basis, service entry, standard variants, baseline specs, and armament background including occasional DShKM or KPVT heavy-machine-gun fits. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-40A - Weaponsystems.netPublisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Supports BTR-40A variant context and the twin 14.5 mm KPV/KPVT anti-aircraft mount on a BTR-40 chassis. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-40 at Yad la-Shiryon Museum ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a baseline BTR-40 APC photographed at Yad la-Shiryon Museum under reusable Creative Commons terms; it is family visual context, not confirmed Yemeni BTR-40M imagery. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-40 at Kubinka Tank Museum ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a BTR-40-family vehicle at the Kubinka Tank Museum released into the public domain; it is family visual context, not confirmed Yemeni BTR-40M imagery. | Accessed: 2026-07-04BTR-40 at Kyiv Museum ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a BTR-40-family vehicle at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II under CC BY-SA 4.0; it is family visual context, not confirmed Yemeni BTR-40M imagery. | Accessed: 2026-07-04