Profile
- Type
- Wheeled armored personnel carrier
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Origin
- Soviet Union / Yemen
- Service note
- 1950s Soviet design documented in Yemeni inventory during the 2014-2015 civil-war takeover period
Armored Vehicles
BTR-40M armored personnel carrier
The 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.
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Built by
- Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ)
- Built in
- Soviet Union
Service History
- In service
- BTR-40 family entered Soviet service in 1950; BTR-40M documented in Yemeni inventory in 2015
- Used by
- Yemeni Army
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- V. A. Dedkov design team at GAZ
- Designed
- 1947-1950
- Built by
- Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ)
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Produced
- 1950-1960 for baseline BTR-40 family
- Number built
- About 8,500 BTR-40 family vehicles
- Variants
- BTR-40, BTR-40M
Specifications
- Configuration
- 4x4 wheeled armored personnel carrier
- Crew and passengers
- Crew of 2 with space for about 6-8 passengers depending on variant
- Weight
- About 5.3-5.8 tonnes for baseline BTR-40 family
- Armor
- About 6-8 mm steel armor on the baseline vehicle
- Engine
- GAZ-40 6-cylinder gasoline engine, about 80 hp
- Road speed
- Up to about 80 km/h
- Operational range
- About 430 km on road
- Armament
- Usually optional pintle-mounted machine guns; Yemeni BTR-40M fit not clearly specified in open sources
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Light protected mobility and local troop transport
Oryx listed the BTR-40M among armored personnel carriers fielded by the Yemeni Army before the 2014-2015 Houthi takeover and described the inventory as equipment available to Yemeni parties on the battlefield; the source does not identify a specific unit or engagement.
BTR-40M armored personnel carrier Images
Related Weapon Systems
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-152M armored personnel carrier6x6 wheeled armored personnel carrierThe 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.
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.
Oshkosh M-ATV4x4 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicleThe Oshkosh M-ATV is a U.S.-built 4x4 MRAP designed to combine mine and ambush protection with better off-road mobility than earlier heavy MRAPs. Its V-hull, armored crew capsule, blast seats, TAK-4 independent suspension, and long road range make it useful as protected tactical transport, convoy security, and battlefield mobility equipment. In the Russia-Ukraine War, open-source reporting has documented M-ATVs in Ukrainian service as part of the broader flow of Western MRAPs used to move troops under mine, artillery, and small-arms threat.Sources
Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting VehiclesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War context: BTR-40M fielded by the Yemeni Army before the 2014-2015 Houthi takeover and identified as equipment available to Yemeni parties on the battlefield. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BTR-40 Armored Personnel CarrierPublisher: Military Factory | Note: Supports BTR-40 family background, dimensions, armor, engine, mobility, armament, and operational role. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BTR-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: 2026-06-20BTR-40 Latrun ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a BTR-40 APC photographed at Yad la-Shiryon Museum and licensed under reusable Creative Commons terms. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BTR-40 Kubinka ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a BTR-40 at the Kubinka Tank Museum released into the public domain by the photographer. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BTR-40 Kyiv ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a BTR-40 at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20