BTR‑4 Bucefal: Ukrainian innovation striking against Russian forces
The crew of the BTR-4 Bucefal armoured personnel carrier, operating in tandem with a drone and belonging to the 95th Air Assault Brigade, launched a devastating attack on Russian forces using continuous fire from their 30 mm automatic cannon. Here, we present the performance of this Ukrainian design.
A video has surfaced online from the vicinity of Kreminna, showing the Ukrainian BTR-4 Bucefal armoured personnel carrier conducting fire on Russian positions using fragmentation or high-explosive incendiary ammunition with a tracer, corrected by a drone.
The red streaks visible in the video below, resembling blaster shots from Star Wars, are the trails left by the burning element of the projectile known as a tracer. The tracer is designed to give the shooter feedback on where the fired projectiles are hitting, allowing for rapid fire adjustment.
Unfortunately, this is not an ideal solution, as the opponent knows where the fire originated. Tracers are usually added to approximately every fifth round, but in the case of the Ukrainians, it appears the tracer is standard in every round.
BTR-4 Bucefal - a Ukrainian departure from Soviet legacy
The BTR-4 Bucefal is a modern eight-wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed in Ukraine. Despite the similar name, it has nothing in common with the BTR-80 family of carriers. The first models reached the Ukrainian armed forces in 2009, but deliveries began to grow significantly after 2014.
The weight of the Bucefal ranges from 17,000 to 25,000 kilograms, and in the case of those most commonly seen on the front lines, it is the upper range of this spectrum. The BTR-4 Bucefal has armour made of armoured steel, which is reinforced inside with a spall liner to protect against shrapnel. The frequently visible cage armour also protects the most popular RPG-7 grenade launchers and similar non-tandem warhead weapons.
The floor of this carrier is also secured against anti-tank mine explosions, ensuring the crew's safety in such situations.
The Ukrainian armed forces most frequently use the BTR-4 Bucefal version equipped with the Parus combat module. This includes a 30 mm automatic cannon, characterized by a rate of fire of 300 rounds per minute and dual-feed capability. Furthermore, a reserve of 300 rounds is stored in the unmanned turret, separated from the crew, which increases their chances of survival if hit. The module also includes a dual launcher for four Barier missiles, which have a range of up to 5 kilometres and can penetrate even 800 millimetres of armoured steel.
With such equipment, the BTR-4 Bucefal can effectively engage various targets, from infantry and armoured fighting vehicles to tanks—which have been demonstrated multiple times in practice—and even helicopters, at a distance of up to 2 kilometres. In addition to Ukraine, these vehicles are also used by the armed forces of Indonesia, Iraq, and Nigeria.
