CZK - BOPAS

After the end of World War II, the army used American armoured personnel carriers M3 (known as "Internationals" in Czechoslovakia) and English Bren Carriers, which were imported by the CSOB from Great Britain. Other armoured personnel carriers were German Sd.Kfz.250 and Sd.Kfz.251. Due to the lack of spare parts as well as the obsolescence of the concepts of these armoured personnel carriers, several efforts were made to develop a home-made armoured personnel carrier.
The project itself was probably conceived as a result of a request from the Engineer Command in 11/1954 to develop an armoured personnel carrier referred to as the BOPAS (battle tracked vehicle). The design work was assigned to the development department of SPE n.p. ČKD Sokolovo. The vehicle was to be intended for engineer units of rifle, tank and mechanized divisions. It was to be used mainly for demining, where the vehicle was to be equipped with PRUNA explosive deminers (PRUNA I and PRUNA III), the development of which was underway. A pair of versions with differently sized cargo compartments (loading areas) were envisaged.


The first specifications were given:
Maximum weight: 16 tonnes
Load capacity: 4 tonnes
Length: ? (Version I/Version II)
Height: 2200 mm
Width: 3000 mm
Engine: unspecified diesel type
Maximum speed: 55 km/h
Average speed on moderate terrain: 25 km/h
Minimum speed in difficult terrain: 4 km/h
Road range: 300 km
Trench: 2.5 m
Wall: 0.75 m
Ford: 1 m
Gradient: 35°
Inclination: 25°
Front approach angle: 90°
Rear approach angle: 35°
Armouring:
-Front: Resistance to 12.7 mm calibre bullets at 200 metres
-Sides: Resistance to 7,92 mm armour piercing rounds
-bottom: 6 mm
Specific pressure: 0.7 kg/cm²


The task card was processed and approved on November 13, 1954. In 3/1955 the designers of ČKD submitted four designs differing in length, hull shape, number of running wheels, size of loading area and engine. Three of the designs were to have a Tatra 928K 8-cylinder engine and a gearbox from a Tatra 137 truck (5+R(x2)). The fourth version was to be powered by a V2 tank engine and the transmission was to be of the Wilson type. The chassis was to consist of a drive wheel at the rear, a tension wheel at the front and five (one version) or six (three versions) running wheels suspended by torsion bars. Supporting belt pulleys were not to be used.


The Four versions were drawn in the drawings:
0 SPE 2688 of 23.3.1955
0 SPE 2689 of 25.3.1955 (short version with five running wheels)
1 SPE 5876 of 30.3.1955
0 SPE 2712 of 11.8.1955 (chassis chariot)


The short version failed due to the impossibility of placing the PRUNA demining device. The remaining proposals were also not received positively. The location of the propulsion units, the open design that did not protect the crew from the effect of weapons of mass destruction, etc. were not accepted. Due to the late assignment, it was not possible to draw up a design for the mounting of the ploughshare required by the Headquarters of the Tank Mechanised Troops. Therefore, the required tactical and technical requirements were modified, including the requirement for the vehicle's seakeeping capability. Thus, interest was concentrated on only one design, namely a design using the platform and components from Vehicles (0 SPE 2712 of 11.8.1955). Due to the closed design, engine cooling problems were burning. On 8.11.1955, the BOPAS project, among others, was discussed at a meeting of the MNO. The seaworthiness and requirements of the vehicle were discussed, where due to the required cruising speed of 10-12 km/h the project had to be redesigned. The continuation of the development was approved, but due to the relocation of the development site to Slovakia and the overload of the development capacities with preparations for the serial production of T-54 tanks, the project was not included in the work in 1956.
In 1956, however, the Army's interest shifted to new armoured personnel carrier projects, and despite requests from the Engineer Command to continue working on the project, it was decided not to proceed with development of this type for capacity reasons. Compared to the later introduced BTR-50 and OT-62 TOPAS types, the BOPAS project would not have fared badly at all, being superior to the aforementioned types in some characteristics.

Mgr. Martin Dubánek - BOPAS Project of the Czechoslovak tracked armoured personnel carrier from 1954-1956, magazine Naše vojsko No.5/2008, ISSN: 0027-8211

Gentlemen,
I'm looking for information about the storage of the SPE design office drawings from the post-war ČKD. I would like to know if the drawings listed below are stored in the National Archives in Chodovec or in the military archives in Ruzyně or Olomouc.
0-SPE-2688
0-SPE-2689
0-SPE-2712
1-SPE-2676