BTR-4 8×8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in Ukraine by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (SOE KMDB) was spotted near the frontlines of Northeastern Nigeria.
The BTR-4 was delivered for Nigerian Army in 2014.
Previously there was no information about contracts on delivery of such armaments to Nigeria. However, the information about the repair works of T-72AV at State Enterprise “Lviv Armor Repair Plant” appeared in September 2014. Concerning the BTR-4E, it seems that small part of 42 BTR-4E APCs batch designed for Iraq, was sold to Nigeria, after Iraq refused to accept them.
The layout of the BTR-4 represent a change compared to the older BTR-60/70/80 designed in the Soviet Union. The vehicle has a conventional layout similar to western designs like the German TPz Fuchs with the driver’s and commander’s compartment at the front part of the hull, the engine and transmission compartment in the middle, and the troop compartment at the rear. The troops enter and leave the vehicle either through the rear doors or the roof hatches, and the driver and the commander are provided with doors located on the sides of the hull.