OT-62/TOPAS Armored Personnel Carrier

Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide

The OT-62 is a tracked amphibious vehicle that was jointly developed and used by Czechoslovakia and Poland. It is equivalent to the Soviet BTR-50PK APC and in appearance is almost identical to the BTR-50PU Model 2 command vehicle with some significant differences. These differences include higher road and water speeds, a fully enclosed troop compartment and in some versions, fully-enclosed armament installations rather than simple pintle-mounted machine guns. TOPAS is the official designation of this armored personnel carrier with the designation "OT-62" often being used in the West.

The OT-62 is a fully amphibious vehicle that is propelled through the water by canted twin water jets in the rear. The hull is all-welded construction with the crew compartment at the front, troop compartment at the center and the engine at the rear. The commander is seated at the front of the vehicle in the left projecting bay with the driver seated to the right of the commander.

OT-62A (TOPAS)

1964. The OT-62A is the basic version of the OT-62 series APCs and has no fixed armament.
Recognition features:

• Six road wheels, no return rollers and a torsion bar suspension.
• A wedge-shaped front and a lowered rear.
• An enlarged bay on the right side of the crew compartment.
• Entry/exit doors on both sides of the troop compartment.
• A commander's cupola with a periscope mounted in the forward part and a hatch cover that opens forward and can be locked vertically.
• Three commander's periscopes mounted in the front part of the left projecting bay.
• A driver's single-piece hatch cover in front of the vehicle that opens upward and has an integral vision block.
• Three periscopes below the driver's hatch cover.
• Three observation periscopes in the right projecting bay.

OT-62B (TOPAS-2A)

See data above.

This version (originally used only by Czechoslovakia) has a mini-turret on the right front of the vehicle, which mounts an 82mm T-21 Tarasnice recoilless gun externally and a 7.62mm machine gun internally. Maximum rate of fire in rds/min for the 82mm gun is one plus, depending upon the availability of an outside loader. Basic load for the 82mm gun is 5 to 12 rounds.
Recognition features:

• Small gun turret mounted atop main compartment.

Tarasnice recoilless gun mounted on Czech-made OT-62B.
14-NOV-1984
U.S. DoD Photo
1280x480, 110K, JPG

Right front view Czech-made OT-62B.
14-NOV-1984
U.S. DoD Photo
1280x700, 194K, JPG

Front view Czech-made OT-62B.
14-NOV-1984
U.S. DoD Photo
1280x875, 255K, JPG

Left front view Czech-made OT-62B.
14-NOV-1984
U.S. DoD Photo
1280x844, 209K, JPG

Right front view Czech-made OT-62B.
14-NOV-1984
U.S. DoD Photo
1280x846, 225K, JPG

Egyptian OT-62B APCs.
Exercise Bright Star '85.
Alexandria, Egypt.
08-AUG-1985
U.S. DoD Photos

OT-62C (TOPAS-2AP)

This version has a turret similar to the Soviet BTR-60PB. Main armament is a 14.5mm heavy machine gun mounted in the turret over the troop compartment. Secondary armament is a coaxially-mounted 7.62mm machine gun. A practical rate of fire for the 14.5mm gun is 150 rds/min with a basic load of 500 rounds. A practical rate of fire for the 7.62mm gun is 200 rds/min with a basic load of 1,000 to 2,000 rounds. This version and the modified OT-62C version below are used only by the Polish Armed Forces.

OT-62C Modified (TOPAS-2AP)

This version carries two 82mm mortars and their crews. The mortars have a rate of fire of 25 rds/min with a load of 50 to 100 rounds.

WPT-TOPAS Recovery Vehicle

Light armored recovery vehicle variant.