BTR-40 had two side doors for the commander and the driver and a rear door for the loading and unloading of the transported troops, which were a maximum of 8 soldiers.The vehicle was not amphibious and protected their occupants only from small arms fire and shrapnel, but not from 12.7mm rounds or nearby artillery shells explosions. The silhouette of the BTR-40 is reminiscent of American and German troops carriers from WWII. It was the first armoured personnel carrier mass-produced by the Soviet Union, helping to a fast motorization of their infantry units.In 1957, came into service the BTR-40B with armoured roof, NBC protection and three pintle mounts for 14.5 or 12.7mm heavy machine guns, maintaining the same engine and armour as the BTR-40.In the BTR-40B variant, the transport capacity was reduced from 8 to 6 troops due to its design for reconnaissance missions rather than for troop transport.Despite being about 60 years old, there are still in service many examples of BTR-40/40B in African and Asian countries mainly, although they can also be seen in Cuba or Nicaragua.
