BTR-D vs FV105 Sultan: Specs Compared

FORCETALLY

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AArmoured vehicles

BTR-D

Airborne Amphibious Multi-Purpose Tracked Armoured Personnel Carrier

Credit

Vitaly V. Kuzmin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗ · Modified

FV105 Sultan — licensed reference photograph

BArmoured vehicles

FV105 Sultan

Credit

SGT Brian Gavin · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified

First system

Second system

At a glance

Side by side

Length comparisonOne shared metre scale

BTR-DLength

6.74 m

Length source ↗

FV105 SultanLength

4.82 m

Length source ↗

Lengths retain their source configuration and measurement scope.

BTR-Dlarger figure on 2 of 3

Length+40%
Width+29%

FV105 Sultanlarger figure on 1 of 3

Mass+4%

Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.

Measured figures

Head to head

12 of 37 rows sourced on both sides

6.74m

4.82m

Length+40%

All recorded figures & sources

6.74 m

Length

Single source

6.74 m (22.1 ft)^[source]

4.82 m

Length

Single source

Configuration

Details

BTR-D and FV105 Sultan configuration
Specification	BTR-D	FV105 Sultan
Type	Airborne Amphibious Multi-Purpose Tracked Armoured Personnel Carrier^[source]	—
Place of origin	Soviet Union / Russia^[source]	United Kingdom^[source]
In service	1974–present^[source]	—
Used by	See Operators^[source]	—
Wars	Soviet–Afghan War Transnistrian War First Chechen War Second Chechen War Russo-Ukrainian war^[source]	—

Designed	Early 1970–1974^[source]	—

Manufacturer	Volgograd Tractor Factory^[source]	Alvis plc^[source]

Produced	1974 – ? (out of production)^[source]	—

Variants	See Variants^[source]	—

Armor	15 mm at 78° upper hull front^[source]	—

Main armament	Pintle-mounted automatic grenade launchers ( AGS-17 , AGS-30 or AGS-57) and/or machine guns ( PKM , 6P41 , " Utyos "," Kord "or”(Type 920G Tucha 81 mm smoke grenade launching system)”.^[source]	FN MAG on pintle mount^[source]

Secondary armament	2×7.62 mm PKB bow general purpose machine guns (2,000 rounds)^[source]	—

Power/weight	30.1 hp/tonne (22.5 kW/tonne) 28.4 hp/tonne (21.3 kW/tonne) (loaded with equipment)^[source]	—

Suspension	torsion-bar^[source]	torsion bar^[source]

Ground clearance	Adjustable 100 mm to 450 mm^[source]	—

Fuel capacity	300 l^[source]	—

Former operator · Soviet Union	Soviet Union^[source]	—

Former operator · Belarus	Belarus^[source]	—

Role	Soviet airborne multi-purpose tracked armoured personnel carrier^[source]	—

Source measurement	While the BTR-D is based on the BMD-1, it is 60 cm longer and lacks a turret. Instead, it has a small flat superstructure with a hatch on top.^[source]BTR-D · Description / Overview; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage The BTR-D is powered by the same engine as the BMD-1. Its suspension is longer because the entire vehicle has been lengthened by 60cm. Because of this, the vehicle has six roadwheels on each side instead of five. It has five return rollers on each side unlike the BMD-1, which has four.^[source]BTR-D · Description / Maneuverability; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage With the turret removed, the troop compartment was enlarged and can carry up to ten equipped soldiers. It's also linked with the crew compartment in the front. There are two firing ports in the sides and one in the rear, two of which are for RPK-74 light machine guns.^[source]BTR-D · Description / Troop compartment; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage BTR-DG (Ob'yekt 925G) – Cargo variant without bow machine guns, firing ports and periscopes.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage This equipment includes a light collapsible crane stored on the roof of the personnel compartment, which can be traversed through 180°, a recovery winch, a combination spade and dozer blade, a generator, towing equipment, electric welding system, tools and ready use spares.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage One of the 7.62 mm bow PKT tank machine guns was eliminated.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage This entered service in 1989 in very small numbers.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage It is used to launch Yakovlev Pchela-1T UAVs for reconnaissance or jamming at ranges up to 60 km.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage BMD-1KSh "Soroka" (Ob'yekt 926) (KSh stands for komandno-shtabnaya – command and staff) – an airborne command post equipped with the R-123M , R-111 and R-130M or R-134 radio sets, as well as an AB1 portable 1 kW generator, the TNA-3 navigation system, folding CLOTHES HORSE type antennae around the superstructure and two slim antenna masts.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage R-440-ODB "Kristall-BDS" – A BTR-D converted into an airborne satellite communications vehicle with a R-440 system with a range of 15,000 km.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage Located over the turret front sights were visors hinged in the centre. 2S9 Nona-S (Ob'yekt 925S) – An airborne self-propelled mortar, armed with a 120 mm 2A60 mortar.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage	—

Source measurement

While the BTR-D is based on the BMD-1, it is 60 cm longer and lacks a turret. Instead, it has a small flat superstructure with a hatch on top.^[source]BTR-D · Description / Overview; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

The BTR-D is powered by the same engine as the BMD-1. Its suspension is longer because the entire vehicle has been lengthened by 60cm. Because of this, the vehicle has six roadwheels on each side instead of five. It has five return rollers on each side unlike the BMD-1, which has four.^[source]BTR-D · Description / Maneuverability; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

With the turret removed, the troop compartment was enlarged and can carry up to ten equipped soldiers. It's also linked with the crew compartment in the front. There are two firing ports in the sides and one in the rear, two of which are for RPK-74 light machine guns.^[source]BTR-D · Description / Troop compartment; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

BTR-DG (Ob'yekt 925G) – Cargo variant without bow machine guns, firing ports and periscopes.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

This equipment includes a light collapsible crane stored on the roof of the personnel compartment, which can be traversed through 180°, a recovery winch, a combination spade and dozer blade, a generator, towing equipment, electric welding system, tools and ready use spares.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

One of the 7.62 mm bow PKT tank machine guns was eliminated.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

This entered service in 1989 in very small numbers.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

It is used to launch Yakovlev Pchela-1T UAVs for reconnaissance or jamming at ranges up to 60 km.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

BMD-1KSh "Soroka" (Ob'yekt 926) (KSh stands for komandno-shtabnaya – command and staff) – an airborne command post equipped with the R-123M , R-111 and R-130M or R-134 radio sets, as well as an AB1 portable 1 kW generator, the TNA-3 navigation system, folding CLOTHES HORSE type antennae around the superstructure and two slim antenna masts.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

R-440-ODB "Kristall-BDS" – A BTR-D converted into an airborne satellite communications vehicle with a R-440 system with a range of 15,000 km.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Located over the turret front sights were visors hinged in the centre. 2S9 Nona-S (Ob'yekt 925S) – An airborne self-propelled mortar, armed with a 120 mm 2A60 mortar.^[source]BTR-D · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

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Origin reported by inventory	Soviet Union^[source]Inventory Origin column; table 5, row 3, cell 2; revision 1377846825; retrieved 2026-10-01	—

Reported operators	Reported operator · Moldova Reported operator · Russia Reported operator · Ukraine Reported operator · Uzbekistan	Reported operator · Ukraine Reported operator · Brunei Darussalam Reported operator · Honduras Reported operator · Latvia