Development
In the late 1950s Czechoslovakia bought license to produce BTR-50s from the Soviet Union. The received documentation was used to develop a new tracked armoured personnel carrier for Czechoslovak army and Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (LWP). The works started in 1958 and first prototype was completed in 1962. After it passed the trials it was accepted and received a name TOPAS.
Because the standard TOPAS vehicle used by Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (LWP) (Polish People's Army) was unarmed, the design bureau of Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna (WAT) (Military Technical Academy) designed a variant armed with a new turret placed centrally on top of the superstructure. Also another TOPAS variant was designed by Wojskowy Instytut Techniki Pancernej i Samochodowej (Military Institute of Armour and Car Technology). The new variant received designation WPT-TOPAS and was a technical support vehicle.
Read more about this topic: OT-62 TOPAS
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