Ace Model 72171 1/72 BTR-80 early production Plastic Model Kit

The wheeled armored personnel carrier BTR-80 was developed in the late 1970s and entered service with the Soviet Army in 1984. Serial production of the vehicle started this year and continues to this day at the Arzam Machine Plant in the Russian Federation. As of today (2017), the number of vehicles produced is estimated at over 5,000. The BTR-80 is powered by a single 260hp diesel engine and can carry up to 8 troops. The basic armament of the BTR-80 consists of two machine guns (cal .: 7.62 mm and 14.5 mm) placed in a rotating turret.

The BTR-80 wheeled armored personnel carrier was created as a far-reaching development of the BTR-70 design, based on the combat experience gained by the Soviet Army in Afghanistan. Improvements in the BTR-80 focused primarily on a much better ergonomics of the vehicle's operation by the crew, increasing its survivability, increasing the reliability of the drive system and - to a lesser extent - improving the armor of the carrier. The BTR-80 turned out to be a successful car, towering over its predecessor, which resulted in serial production, which continues to this day, and in several development versions of the car. The BTR-80 wheeled armored personnel carriers were used in combat in Afghanistan in the years 1979-1989 and in the course of the wars of the Russian Federation in the Caucasus after 1989. The BTR-80 was exported to: Serbia, Hungary and Ukraine.