In Libya, after a long break, the former Soviet four-axle BTR-60PB were again seen. Armored vehicles in the amount of five units were demonstrated during a visit by the commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, to one of the infantry units subordinate to him.
It is interesting that three years ago, at one of the large-scale parades of the LNA, there was a whole battalion of such armored personnel carriers-more than three dozen pieces. However, apparently, most of them were disabled during protracted battles or for various technical reasons.
According to various sources, in total, the Jamahiriya received 160 "sixties"from the Soviet Union in the 70s and 80s. This equipment was intensively used and occasionally used during the military conflict in Chad.
Shortly before the outbreak of the civil war that broke out in this country, some of the remaining armored personnel carriers were modernized. With the help of foreign specialists, it was possible to slightly improve the characteristics of these armored vehicles. First of all, we got rid of two fire-hazardous and long-outdated gasoline engines, replacing them with one diesel.
For a more convenient landing and disembarkation of servicemen, hatches were made in the sides. On the turret with machine guns: 14.5-mm KPVT and 7.62-mm PKT - there were grenade launchers designed to create camouflage smoke screens. Communications equipment and night vision devices were replaced.
During the prolonged military confrontation in Libya, unusual hybrids were also noticed - BTR-60 hulls with weapons mounted on the chassis of T-55 medium tanks.
Alexey Moiseev
