TAB-77

TAB-77
Romanian TAB-77 armored personnel carrier in Afghanistan in 2007
General properties
crew	2 (driver, gunner), 1 commander, up to 8 soldiers
length	7.22 m
width	2.83 m
height	2.70 m
Dimensions	13.35 tons
Armor and armament
Armor	9 mm (front), 7 mm (side)
Main armament	1 × oversized 14.5 mm MG KPWT
Secondary armament	1 × 7.62 mm MG PKT
agility
drive	2 × Saviem -797-05M1- diesel engine 2 × 132 HP
Top speed	95 km / h (road), 9 km / h (in water)
Power / weight
Range	550 km

The TAB-77 is an 8 × 8 armored personnel carrier (original name T ransportorul A mfibiu B lindat model 19 77 , German translation: Amphibious armored car model 1977) from Romanian production, which was produced by the vehicle manufacturer Automecanica Moreni from 1978 to 1990 by Automecanica Moreni. The successor to the TAB-77 was the B33 Zimbru .

development

The armored car was developed as an improved successor to the TAB-71M . The TAB-77 is largely based on the Soviet BTR-70 , which was manufactured under license by the Romanian armaments company ROMARM (then RATMIL). Compared to the Soviet model, the TAB-77 was equipped with two 132 HP diesel engines of the type 797-05M1 from the French manufacturer Saviem and the dimensions changed, which resulted in a higher mass. About 1,000 vehicles were in the factory Moreni Automecanica fabricated especially for the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic , which took him as SPW-70th

variants

• TAB-77A R-1451 / M and TAB-77A R-1452 : Leadership vehicle.
• TAB-77A PCOMA : Artillery observation tank.
• TERA-77L : Recovery vehicle with a dozer blade and a hydraulic crane.
• TABC-79 : Shortened 4 × 4 version with the same turret.

Users

•  German Democratic Republic : Used as armored personnel carrier 70 (SPW 70 for short) in the NVA from 1979 to 1990 (also "Device 4905"). A total of 1266 units equipped with Russian 120 hp engines were delivered. The SPW 70 were scrapped after reunification or given to third countries.
  • the special version SPW 70Ch was a prototype for a reconnaissance vehicle for the detection of chemical warfare agents and ionizing radiation .
  • SPW 70 W - like Romanian TAB-77, planned but no longer implemented.
  • SPW 70 S - staff vehicle with two additional radios
  • SPW 70 SL - staff vehicle for coordination with air forces, with additional radio and antenna
•  Romania : 167 copies are said to be still in the holdings of the Romanian armed forces . The armored car was used as part of the SFOR NATO protection force for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the IFOR mission in Afghanistan .
•  People's Republic of China : In 1984 the People's Republic of China imported a TAB-77, but no procurement took place.
•  Libya : In 1986 five TERA-77L recovery vehicles were delivered.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Globalsecurity.org: TAB-77 (English)
2. ^ Russell Phillips: Tanks and Combat Vehicles of the Warsaw Pact. Shilka Publishing, 2017.
3. ↑ Uzina Automecanica Moreni - PORTOFOLIU PRODUSE (Romanian)
4. ↑ TAB-77 R-1451 Véhicule blindé poste de commandement (French)
5. ↑ TAB-77 PCOMA Véhicule blindé poste observation d'artillerie (French)
6. ↑ PDF Printed matter 12/2026 p.7 German Bundestag - 12th electoral period from January 31, 1992
7. ↑ ^{a b c d} Schützenpanzerwagen 70 and variants ( Memento of the original from August 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Military technology of the NVA, private internet presence 
8. ↑ Army-guide.com TAB-77 (English)
9. ↑ Nato.int: Lt. Antonio Ruiz González: DR 02 in MND-SE (English)
10. ↑ Romanian TAB-77 in China (English)

Web links

Commons : TAB-77  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Description on GlobalSecurity.org (English)