BSCh-4
| BSCh-4 | |
|---|---|
| File:BSCh 4.png Troop transport variants of the BSCh-4, with the year they entered service | |
| Type | Armored personnel carrier |
| Place of origin |  Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1973-present |
| Used by |  Menghe |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Inmin-Chŏlgang-Nodongja design bureau |
| Designed | 1966-1972 |
| Manufacturer | Songrimsŏng Automotive Plant |
| Produced | 1972-1998 |
| No. built | ~30,000 |
| Specifications (BSCh-4N) | |
| Weight | 8.76 tonnes |
| Length | 7.54 m |
| Width | 2.64 m |
| Height | 2.36 m to roof |
| Crew | 2 (driver, gunner) |
| Passengers | 11 (10+1) |
| Armor | welded steel plate |
Main armament | 12.7mm GCh-75Ch heavy machine gun |
Secondary armament | none |
| Engine | SRS-150 petrol 201 hp (150 kW) |
| Power/weight | 17.1 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | wheeled 4x4 |
| Ground clearance | 59 cm |
Operational range | 900 km (internal fuel) |
| Speed | 95 km/h (road) |
The BSCh-4 (Menghean: 분대 수송 장갑차, Budae Susong Janggabcha, lit. "Squad Transporting Armored car") is a 4x4 wheeled armored personnel carrier designed in the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe, now the Socialist Republic of Menghe. It was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s to provide a fast wheeled transport for the Menghe People’s Army. From the 1970s through the 1990s it was the main APC in Menghean service, though it has since been replaced by the BSCh-7 in all active units and about half of all Mobilization Reserves.
Development
Soon after Menghe regained its independence in the Menghe War of Liberation, its military leaders realized that in order to react to possible enemy landings across the nation's long coast they would have to develop a fast armored car for transport. The tracked BSCh-3 already in service was deemed too slow, and its amphibious capabilities were marginal at best, while the utility trucks that then formed the backbone of the Menghe People's Army were vulnerable to small-arms fire on the battlefield. In order to meet these requirements, the MPA's Procurement Bureau decided to develop an indigenous APC with Polvokian aid.
Design
Like the BSCh-3 before it, the BSCh-4 can transport a full 10-man infantry squad plus a single platoon officer or marksman, and the crew consists of a driver and a machine-gun operator. In addition to the gunner's weapon, the vehicle is fitted with eight firing ports, four on each side. Because the engine compartment is in the rear of the vehicle, the transported squad must disembark through doors in the sides and hatches in the roof.
The powerplant itself consists of a single 200-horsepower petrol engine. A single central waterjet beneath the engine provides added propulsion when fording bodies of water. On a level road, the BSCh-4 can reach a top speed of about 95 kilometers per hour, just shy of the 100 kph design goal. On the other hand, its 4x4 layout and poor suspension limit its usefulness on rough terrain.
At roughly 7 millimeters thick, the armor is resistant to small-arms fire from all angles, and provides limited protection against explosives. On the other hand, it is easily penetrated by most 12.7mm ammunition, even at long ranges over the frontal arc. In combination with its poor offroad capability, this limits its effectiveness as a fighting vehicle. Though a major step up from the unprotected trucks previously used, the BSCh-4 is still primarily intended to drop off its squad and withdraw to a safe distance rather than actively supporting them in combat.
Variants
Troop Transports
- BSCh-4G: the original design which entered service in 1973, with a 12.7mm PM43 heavy machine-gun in an open cupola mount. Slightly over 15,000 were produced in total.
- BSCh-4N: an upgraded variant from 1982. The most visible change was the replacement of the open cupola with an enclosed turret, which mounted a 12.7mm GCh-75Ch heavy machine-gun. Combined with the installation of improved seals on the doors and firing ports and the addition of an overpressure pump and air filter, this change allowed the vehicle to operate more effectively in a CRBN-contaminated environment. Roughly 18,000 were built, making this the more common variant, though the BSCh-4G is still widely seen in low-readiness reservist units.
- BSCh-4D: The most thorough upgrade, this variant changed the main armament to a new turret which paired a 7.62-millimeter GPMG with a JYB-38 automatic grenade launcher. The armor was also greatly improved, with thicker plates on the front and sides and an additional spall liner on the inside to catch penetrating fragments. Finally, the old petrol engine was replaced with a 300-horsepower diesel unit, allowing a higher top speed of 110 kilometers per hour despite the increased weight. Nevertheless, due to High Command’s endorsement of the BSCh-7 as a replacement, the BSCh-4D only saw limited production, with about 350 hulls produced following its introduction in 1993. Today it mainly equips Gunchal rear-area patrol units.
Combat Vehicles
- DChP-415 BSCh-4: A self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, this variant had four JGG-65 15mm heavy machine-guns in an open-topped mount on the roof. Because the guns were manually traversed and aimed, it had very poor accuracy against fixed-wing aircraft, but was found to be very effective at suppressing infantry.
Specialist Vehicles
- BSCh-4 Naean: A specialized variant for service with the Internal Security Forces. Its cupola gun is replaced by a water cannon, with a tear gas grenade launcher on a pintle mount on top of the turret. Screens over the side windows provide protection from stones, bricks, and other thrown objects. The internal compartment can be used to carry ten armed personnel, usually riot police of the Rapid Response Brigades. Several dozen of these were produced for Menghean service, most of them converted from decommissioned BSCh-4Gs.
- BSCh-4DS: Battalion command vehicle (Daedae Salyŏngcha). The machine gun cupola or turret is removed, and additional radios including a telescoping mast are added.
- BSCh-4DMG: Battalion radio vehicle (Daedae Mujŏn'gi-cha). Similar to the BSCh-4DS, except that some radio sets are different, a wirelaying kit is added to the back, and there is a large wraparound radio antenna instead of a telescoping mast.
- BSCh-4JG: Armored ambulance (Janggab Gugŭbcha) typically used at the Battalion level to evacuate wounded soldiers to a battalion medical point or higher. It can carry four stretchers in addition to the driver and three assistants, but crew reports suggest it is difficult to move loaded stretchers through the narrow side doors. As on the BSCh-4DS, the turret is removed.
- BSCh-4JG1: Improved armored ambulance. The conventional side doors are replaced by larger sliding doors, making it easier to onload and offload stretchers. The BSCh-4JG1 also contains additional medical equipment to stabilize patients.
- BSCh-4JGCh: Armored recovery vehicle (Janggab Gunan Chalyang) with an A-frame crane and a powered winch.