Some 300 BTR-60P models were procured by the Iranian government in 1966, joining a stock of 270 BTR-50 series vehicles. The BTR-60PB models arrived in a 1986 order with deliveries happening within months and spanning just a few years. Iran used the BTR-60 extensively during its long-running war with neighboring Iraq (the "Iran-Iraq War" of 1980-1988). In Iranian service these vehicles carried the name of "Sedad" and were armed with a 23mm ZU-23-2 cannon with full day-night operating capability - the gun could be fired from the safety of the vehicle.
Unlike the BTR-60PB - which used three crew - the Aqareb is said to feature a standard operating crew of four. The glacis plate and nose section have been revised some for better ballistics protection up front and improved water entry while a new turret installation has been drawn up to fit the larger-caliber main gun offering. Interestingly, a cylindrical outcropping is added to the turret rear which houses the 12.7mm heavy machine gun - the weapon offering local defense against low-flying targets and light armored vehicles. A 7.62mm coaxial machine gun is most likely fitted to the turret as well. Another interesting design quality is the obvious armored skirt employed over the upper reaches of the roadwheels - a feature not common to foreign AFVs. Construction of the hull is of all-welded steel, standard in the armored vehicle industry today (2015), and protects the vehicle from small arms fire and shell "spray".
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