Polish mobility developer Mista has overhauled over 150 BTR-70 8×8 armored personnel carriers for a defense partner.
The effort covered upgrades to the Soviet-era fleet’s hull design, replacements of its legacy motors into Western diesel engines and transmissions, and integration of modern technologies such as thermal sight and optical surveillance devices, satellite navigation systems, drone countermeasure nets, and signal jamming solutions.
The Stalowa Wola-based company, which revealed the milestone through Aeromag, did not reveal the user that ordered the restoration.
Neither the Polish government nor Mista have provided information regarding the effort.
The BTR-70 was first inducted into the Soviet Union’s military service in 1972.
After the socialist republic’s collapse in the 90s, several of the vehicles inherited by Ukraine were transformed into the BTR-70DI, a hull equipped with advanced components for the modern battlefield.
Considering the vehicle’s origin and Warsaw’s current alliance, multiple sources said that the Mista’s project is linked with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as it is the BTR-70DI’s only operator alongside Russia.
Both the BTR-70 and the BTR-70DI have not been in the Polish military’s ground fleet since its introduction.
The BTR-70 is a 12-tonne (26,456-pound) vehicle that is primarily used for amphibious missions.
It measures 8 meters (26 feet) long, is operated by a crew of three, and can seat up to seven passengers.
The system is protected by a combined 7 and 9-millimeter armor, heavy machine guns, and a belt-fed light machine gun.
It is powered by two gasoline engines with 120 horsepower each for speeds up to 80 kilometers (48 miles) per hour on land and 9 kilometers (6 miles) per hour on water, with a range of 600 kilometers (373 miles).
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