The ZIL-153 was an experimental Soviet armoured personnel carrier of the late 1950s, designed to replace the BTR-152 in motor rifle units. Only one prototype was built, and after trials in 1960 the BTR-60 was preferred.
ZIL-153 at a glance
| Maker | ZiL, Bureau of Foreign Orders |
|---|---|
| Design | N. I. Orlov, 1957–1959 |
| Class | armoured personnel carrier prototype |
| Purpose | replacement for the BTR-152 |
| Prototypes | one |
| Trials | 1960, successful |
| Planned batch | ten pre-series vehicles |
| Competitor chosen | BTR-60 |
| Survivor | Kubinka Tank Museum |
Based on one source: the Russian Wikipedia article on the ZIL-153.
History of the ZIL-153
A replacement for the BTR-152
In the second half of the 1950s the Soviet army looked for a new armoured personnel carrier to take over from the BTR-152, which was based on the ZIS-151 truck. The work on the ZIL-153 was carried out between 1957 and 1959 at the ZiL Bureau of Foreign Orders under N. I. Orlov. The vehicle was meant for motor rifle units and followed the general layout of the time: an armoured hull on a wheeled chassis.
One prototype
A single prototype was built and passed its trials successfully in 1960. The plant began preparing a pre-series batch of ten vehicles, and serial production was planned. In the end, however, the army chose the BTR-60, a completely new eight-wheeled design, and further work on the ZIL-153 was stopped. No production vehicles were ever completed.
The survivor
The only ZIL-153 is preserved in the Kubinka Tank Museum near Moscow. It is a rare example of a Soviet prototype that survived in a single copy, and it shows the stage of development reached before the army turned to the eight-wheeled BTR-60 family.
Design and features
- Purpose-built APC: an armoured hull designed from the start as a personnel carrier, not a converted truck.
- Single prototype: one vehicle built, tested in 1960 and never put into production.
- Lost competition: dropped in favour of the BTR-60, which became the standard Soviet APC.
- Museum survivor: the only example is kept at the Kubinka Tank Museum.
ZIL-153 versions
- ZIL-153 prototype (1959): the only vehicle built, tested in 1960.
- Planned pre-series: a batch of ten was prepared but never completed.
The ZIL-153 was meant to replace the ZIS-151-based BTR-152, and other military ZiLs are in the ZiL collection.
Sources
- ЗИЛ-153, Russian Wikipedia: design, trials, planned production, survivor
