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 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 Menghean 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 From the 1970s through the 1990s it was the main APC in Menghean service, though it has since been replaced by the BSCh-7 in all active units and about half of all Mobilization Reserves.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
In the late 1960s, after the Menghean War of Liberation, the Menghean People's Army consolidated its forces around three main squad transports: the BSCh-1 light wheeled APC, the BSCh-2 tracked APC, and the BSCh-3 tracked IFV. The BSCh-1 was initially slated to be the most numerous of the three, but it had a number of serious drawbacks. First, it offered poor protection to the crew, due to its open roof and 5mm side armor. Second, it had poor mobility, with a low road speed and poor offroad mobility. Third, it lacked amphibious capability and could only ford shallow water obstacles.
The Menghean People's Army responded by ordering the development of an entirely new APC which would correct these problems. The Army's requirements included all-around protection from 7.62mm or 7.5mm small-arms fire, a road speed of at least 70 km/h, a swimming speed of at least 5 km/h, and a 12.7mm heavy machine gun as defensive armament. Following revisions to squad structure, the required capacity was set at ten squad members plus one member of the platoon headquarters, in addition to the driver and gunner.
The Teakchŏn Heavy Vehicle Factory drew up a prototype in 1970-1971, with evaluation taking place in 1972. The procurement team from the Ministry of National Defense was impressed by the prototype's characteristics, and accepted it for service the following year.
Description
Layout
The BSCh-4 was the first Menghean APC to be designed around an existing squad structure; all previous Menghean APCs and IFVs had either adapted foreign designs or been built for flexible squad composition. It was also the first to be designed from the drawing board up as an APC; the BSCh-1 essentially consisted of an armored body on the chassis of a MAZ 502 utility truck.
The driver sits in the front right corner of the crew compartment, with one passenger seat beside him. This seat is typically occupied by the squad sergeant, though in the first vehicle in each platoon, the platoon lieutenant occupies it instead. Two rear-facing passenger seats are located just behind the driver and front passenger positions and just inboard of the wheel wells. These spring-loaded seats fold upward when not in use. The gunner, who is part of the vehicle crew rather than a squad member, sits on a platform under the turret, and stands on that platform when operating the machine gun. The gunner's platform is spring-loaded and folds up when not occupied. The remaining eight passengers sit facing outward on a double-sided bench in the center of the hull. The engine is located in the rear of the vehicle, over and slightly behind the rear axle. It is separated from the crew by a protective firewall which can also shield the engine from shrapnel and incoming fire.
Passengers and crew normally enter and exit through a pair of large clamshell doors on each side of the vehicle. These open into the space around the turret, forward of the crew bench and just to the rear of the rear-facing seats, allowing easy access for all crew members. It is possible to open only the top half of this door, creating a larger firing port, or only the bottom half, to compromise protection less. There are also two large hatches over the rear part of the crew compartment, for emergency escape or rapid dismounting over the sides, and two smaller hatches over the driver and front passenger positions, for emergency escape or better visibility. A downside of the engine-rear arrangement is that there is no way for passengers to exit through the rear of the vehicle, a problem addressed by the BSCh-7.
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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.