MT-LB

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MT-LB
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MT-LB
TypeAmphibious armoured personnel carrier
Multi-purpose armored vehicle
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In serviceearly 1970s – present
Used bySee Operators
WarsSoviet–Afghan War
Iran–Iraq War
Gulf War
Transnistrian War
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)
First Chechen War
Second Chechen War
Iraq War
Russo-Georgian War
Boko Haram insurgency
Syrian civil war
War in Iraq (2013–2017)
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
Russo-Ukrainian War[1]
Production history
DesignerCentral Auto and Tractor Directorate
Designed1950s
ManufacturerKharkov Tractor Plant
No. builtPage Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
  • Over 55,000, including the MT-LBu
[2]
Specifications
Mass11.9 tonnes (13.1 short tons; 11.7 long tons)
Length6.45 m (21 ft 2 in)
Width2.86 m (9 ft 5 in)
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Crew2 (+ 11 passengers)
Armor14 mm max.
Main
armament
12.7mm NSV/Kord heavy machine gun; or
30mm AGS17D/AGS-30 Automatic grenade launcher, or
30mm 2A42/2A72 autocannon
Secondary
armament
PKT (2,500 rounds)
EnginePage Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.

Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
  • YaMZ 238: 240 hp at 2,100 rpm
  • SW 680: 240 hp at 2,200 rpm
Power/weight20 hp/tonne
SuspensionTorsion bar
Operational
range
500 km (310 mi) (road)
Page Template:Tooltip/styles.css has no content.Template:Encodefirst61 km/h (38 mph) (road)
30 km/h (19 mph) (off-road)
5 to 6 km/h (3.7 MPH) (in the water)

The MT-LB (Template:Langx) is a Soviet multi-purpose, fully amphibious, tracked armoured fighting vehicle in use since the 1970s. It was also produced in Poland, where (starting in the mid-1990s) its YaMZ engine was replaced by a Polish 6-cylinder SW 680 diesel engine.[3]

Development

In the 1950s, the Soviet Central Auto and Tractor Directorate began a development program to replace the AT-P series of artillery tractors (which were based on the ASU-57 airborne self-propelled gun) with a new generation of vehicles. The MT-L was developed to meet this requirement based on the PT-76 amphibious light tank chassis. The MT-LB is the armoured variant of the MT-L. Entering production in the early 1970s, it was cheap to build, being based on many existing components, e.g. the engine, which was originally developed for trucks.

It was built at the Kharkiv Tractor Plant[4] (KhTZ) in Soviet Ukraine, and in Bulgaria.[5][6] Formerly, it was also manufactured under license in Poland by Huta Stalowa Wola[7]

Description

The crew (a driver and a commander/gunner) sit in a compartment at the front of the vehicle, with the engine behind them. A compartment at the rear enables up to 11 infantry to be carried or a cargo of up to 2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb). A load of 6,500 kilograms (14,300 lb) can be towed. The vehicle is fully amphibious, being propelled by its tracks in the water.[8]

A small turret at the front of the vehicle fits a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun with 360-degree manual traverse and an elevation of −5 to +30 degrees. The vehicle is lightly armored against small arms and shell splinters with a thickness of three to ten millimetres (0.12 to 0.39 in) of steel with a maximum of 14 millimetres (0.55 in) for the turret front.[9]

Several weapon systems are based on this hull (for example Strela-10 or SNAR-10).

Variants

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Former USSR

File:Штурм-С - Контрольная проверка курсантов Учебного центра боевого применения ракетных войск и артиллерии 02.jpg
9P149 vehicle based on the MT-LB of the Shturm-S tank destroyer.
  • MT-L
    • MT-LB (izdeliye 6) – basic model, often used as simple APC but also as artillery tractor or ambulance. In the West, the term MT-LB Blade or MT-LB M1980 is used for vehicles that are fitted with a hydraulic dozer blade.[citation needed]

Bulgaria

  • Bulgaria has various models of the MT-LB in service, as of 2016.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. Along with the base model, between 1971 and 2012, Bulgaria manufactured the MT-LB VM variation with improved snow and swamp-going capabilities.[10][11]
File:MT-LBMB with MB2 combat module - Bronnitsy test range.jpg
The upgraded MT-LBM 6MB with MB2 turret, whose main armament is a 2A72 30 mm automatic cannon.

East Germany

  • MT-LB (Pi) – combat engineer vehicle.[12]
  • MT-LB (Pzj) – version for anti-tank units.
  • MT-LB (Pzj Fü) – command vehicle for anti-tank units.
  • MT-LB (BO) SFL – battery command vehicle in self-propelled artillery units.
  • San MT-LB – ambulance
  • MTP-LB – technical support vehicle.

Iraq

File:Iraqi MT-LB.JPEG
Iraqi MT-LB converted into a SPAAG armed with a ZU-2 anti-aircraft gun.
File:Iraqi military men riding on tank.jpg
Iraqi MT-LBV fitted with wider tracks.
  • MT-LB converted into a SPAAG by mounting a ZU-23-2 23×152mm twin anti-aircraft gun on the rear part of the vehicle. The gun had its wheels removed and as such cannot be easily dismounted and used separately. There were at least two variations of this conversion; one with the ZU-23-2 mounted in an open-topped turret, the other with the ZU-23-2 mounted on a platform extending beyond the hull of the MT-LB with a roof for the gun operators. The second version was most likely intended to be used in a fire support role, as the roof would hinder the gun's sights at high elevation.[13]

Poland

Polish HSW S.A. (Huta Stalowa Wola S.A.) license produced MT-LB since 1976, and it also developed a modified chassis SPG-2, with better floating capabilities.[14]

  • MT-LB-2AP – APC variant with a turret from SKOT-2AP, armed with high elevation 14.5mm KPVT MG and 7.62mm PKT CMG. Prototype only.
  • WEM Lotos – medical evacuation vehicle with four stretchers.
  • WPT Mors – armoured recovery and repair vehicle, produced from 1983.
  • R-137T (radiostacja ruchoma UKF) – signals vehicle with VHF radio set R-137. Entered service in 1987 and has a range of 70 to 150 km.
    • ZWD-1 "Irys" (zautomatyzowany wóz dowodzenia) – command vehicle, belongs to the automated command set "Irys".
  • MT-LB-23M "Krak" – APC variant with a 23 mm gun in an unmanned turret. Prototype only.
  • Promet – self-propelled AA gun with twin 23 mm guns, from 1979. Four prototypes only.
  • "Przebiśnieg" – electronic warfare system, consists of three different vehicles:
    • SZ or MT-LB Z (stacja zakłóceń) – EW/Jamming vehicle;
    • SR or MT-LB R (stacja rozpoznania) – Comint/Sigint vehicle;
    • WD krel – command post vehicle (wóz dowodzenia kompanii radioelektronicznej).
  • SPG-2 – much-modified base vehicle, with reworked nose section and hydro jets for better floating:[14]
    • TRI Hors – engineering reconnaissance vehicle, built in series from 1983, armed with 12.7mm NSVT AAMG mounted on a turret;[14]
    • WPT Mors-II – armoured recovery and repair vehicle, produced from 1986, armed with 12.7mm NSVT AAMG mounted on a turret;[14]
    • Opal-I and Opal-II – artillery command vehicles, with a turret with NSWT-12.7 Utios: Opal-I with a 245 hp (180 kW) turbocharged diesel engine SW680/167/1, Opal-II with a 300 hp (220 kW) engine SW680T (YaMZ-238N) and a longer chassis with 7 road wheels on each side.[15] Prototypes only

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    • BWO-40 – infantry fighting vehicle with 40 mm Bofors gun. A similar turret was mounted on the BWP-40 (BMP-1 upgrade). Prototype only.

Russia

Vehicle in service

  • MT-LB
  • MT-LBV - entering service in 1972, introduced new roadwheel swing arms, fenders and mudguards to accommodate a wider set of tracks. A modification with wider tracks (670mm instead of 350mm) for lower ground pressure for snow/swamp operations.
  • MT-LBVM - equipped with the NSVT 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun mount instead of the TKB-01-1 turret.
  • MT-LBVMK – a modification of MT-LBVM with a 12.7mm Kord instead of a 12.7mm NSVT machine gun.[16] Engine: YaMZ-238VM with rated power of 240 hp.
  • MT-LBVM1K - mountain modification, equipped with the new YaMZ-238BL-1 engine with rated power of 300 hp, new on-board radio station and new heater.
  • MT-LBu – a bigger, unarmed version that is used as the basis for many specialised vehicles. It has a more powerful engine, a 40 cm higher hull and a longer chassis with 7 road wheels on each side, instead of 6.
  • MT-LBM 6MB - 30mm autocannon turret mounted above the main compartment.

Prototypes

  • MT-LB 6MB3 - Modification from Muromteplovoz with AG-17 grenade launcher, 12.7mm Kord and a GSh-23-2. Possibly only one made.[17]
  • MT-LB 6MA - Modification using BPU-1 turret mounted above main compartment.

Hybrid/field-modified vehicles:

Vehicle not in service

Sweden

File:401 vinter.jpg
Swedish MT-LB converted into Pbv 401
  • Pbv 401 (pansarbandvagn) – a modified former East-German vehicle with 7.62 mm machine guns Ksp 95 and Ksp 58.[27]

Ukraine

  • MT-LBMSh – announced in 2017, and built for Myanmar by the Kharkiv Tractor Plant. Equipped with a KBA-105 "Shkval" combat module with a 30 mm autocannon, KT-7,62 machine gun, KBA-117 30 mm grenade launcher, six smoke grenade launchers 902B Tucha, and Barrier ATGM system. The vehicle also has reinforced armour and a new YaMZ-238B engine with 330 horsepower.[28]
File:UA MT-LB with MT-12.jpg
MT-LB-12
  • BMP-1LB − Infantry fighting vehicle equipped with slat armour, and a BM-7 Parus remote-controlled weapon station featuring a 30 mm autocannon, twin machine guns, and an automatic grenade launcher. Early models suffered from slow speed and weak engines.[31]

Operators

File:MT-LB v.2.png
Map of MT-LB operatorsPage Template:Legend/styles.css has no content.
  Current
Page Template:Legend/styles.css has no content.
  Former

Current operators

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  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 336Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • File:Flag of Angola.svg Angola – 31[32]
File:Resting iron Bangladesh Army MT-LB APC. (36251501343).jpg
Bangladesh Army MT-LB on exhibition.
  • File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh – 134Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 100 MT-LB in service as of 2024.[33]
  • File:Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus – 70Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • Template:Flaglist – 6Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • File:Flag of Eritrea.svg Eritrea – 10Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 320 MT-LBu/MT-LBV in service as of 2024.[33]
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 66+ in ServiceLua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • File:Flag of Iraq.svg Iraq – About 400 in Service.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 150Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • File:Flag of Moldova.svg Moldova – 60Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • File:Flag of Myanmar.svg Myanmar – 350+ of MT-LBMShLua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • File:Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria – 67Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • File:Flag of North Korea (March 2026-).svg North Korea – unknown number of HT-16PGJ based on Strela-10
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 10 MT-LB in service as of 2024.[33]
  • File:People's Protection Units Flag.svg People's Defense Units (YPG)[34]
  • File:Flag of Russia.svg Russia – 3,300 in active service before the start of Russo-Ukrainian War.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. As of May 9th 2025, Russia has lost 1710 MT-LBs of various variants in the Russo-Ukrainian War.[35]
  • Script error: No such module "flag".[36]
  • Template:Flagicon Transnistria
  • Script error: No such module "flag". Strela-10,Snar-10 and bought Soviet leftover at Cam Ranh naval base.
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 2,090.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.[37] In 2018 nine MT-LBs received from Poland (those vehicles were previously in Polish service).[38]
    • As of May 9th 2025, Ukraine has lost 156 MT-LBs of various variants during Russia's invasion.[39]
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 5Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – Used by opposing force units for training purposes.

Former operators

File:LT MT-LB.jpg
Lithuanian Army MT-LB on exhibition.
  • Template:Country data Artsakh − Seized by Azerbaijan after the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.[40]
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 6 SNAR-10 stored, for scrap.
  • Template:Flagicon Czechoslovakia – Passed on to the Czech Republic.
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 721 Bulgarian-made MT-LBs, 32 SNAR-10 and 36 Strela-10M. Unified with West Germany.
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – taken from GDR's army, all scrapped or sold to other countries.
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – Strela-10 and SNAR-10
  • File:Islamic State flag.svg Islamic State[41]
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 10 retired.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 15 retiredLua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – Passed on to successor states.
  • Script error: No such module "flag". – 460 (Locally designated Pbv 401, former East German, bought in 1993, then decommissioned gradually until the last 147 examples were sold to Finland in 2011)[42]
  • Template:Flagcountry[43]

See also

Notes

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kadam, Tanmay (7 March 2023). "Desperate For 'War Machines', Russia & Ukraine Turn Their 70-Year-Old Armored Vehicles Into Fire Support Weapons". Latest Asian, Middle-East, EurAsian, Indian News. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sébastian Roblin (2 September 2023). "Mutant Soviet Armored Vehicles Have Come to Ukraine". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."MT-LB multipurpose tracked armoured vehicle technical data sheet specifications pictures video". Archived from the original on 3 November 2018.
  4. ^ vehicles Script error: No such module "webarchive".
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."US Analyst Expects Bulgaria to Renew Production of BMP Armored Vehicles". Novinite.com. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bulgaria has signed contract for sale of 500 MT-LB multirole tracked armored vehicles to Iraq". Army Recognition. 16 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  7. ^ http://hsw.pl/czytaj/765 Script error: No such module "webarchive". Light Armoured Multipurpose Tracked Tractor MTLB
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Pike, John (16 January 2000). "MT-LB Multipurpose Armoured Vehicle". Federation of American Scientist Military Analysis Network. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."MT-LB Light Armored Multi-purpose Vehicle". www.inetres.com. Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Петров, Генерал-майор (рез.) Петър Петров (9 May 2016). "Бойната техника, произведена в комбината "Девети май", Червен бряг, още е на въоръжение в армията". Отбрана.com (in български). Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Александрова, Галина (24 April 1995). "Министерството на промишлеността търси решение за лошите кредити на военните заводи". Capital.bg (in български). Economedia. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  12. ^ Gau L-R., Plate J., Siegert J. (2001) Deutsche Militärfahrzeuge – Bundeswehr und NVA. Motorbuch Verlag. Template:ISBN
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jim Webster. "MT-LB [ZU-23 – Iraq] tracked armoured fire support vehicle". Jedsite.info. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  14. ^ a b c d Jerzy Kajetanowicz, Prace nad rozwojem sprzętu pancernego w Polsce – przegląd lat 1955–1990 in: Poligon nr.5/2010, pp.12–18 (in Polish)
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Lekki samobieżny zestaw przeciwlotniczy Sopel/Stalagmit" (in polski). Militarium. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Транспортер-тягач МТ-ЛБ ВМК (in русский). Muromteplovoz. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Еще внукам послужит. Пять интересных фактов о легендарном МТ-ЛБ". Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."ЦАМТО / / На учениях в ЗВО впервые применили модифицированные бронированные тягачи в качестве платформы для ЗУ-23". armstrade.org.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Axe, David. "Desperate Russian Forces Are Sticking 80-Year-Old Naval Guns On 70-Year-Old Armored Tractors". Forbes. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Axe, David. "The Russians Stuck Rockets and A Mortar on the Same Old Tractor". Forbes. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Axe, David. "Russia Bolted 1950s Guns To Armored Tractors—And Made Useless Vehicles". Forbes. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Russians install a naval MLRS on MT-LB". Militarnyi. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."MT-LB Multipurpose Armoured Vehicle". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."RAROG Battalion destroys Russian RBU-6000 SMERCH-2 rocket launcher". Militarnyi. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Russia could order Toros tracked armoured vehicle for military units deployed in the Arctic Region". 18 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Behrendt, Paweł (11 October 2015). "Nowa wersja MT-LB dla brygad arktycznych".
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lindström, Rickard O. (18 October 2014). "Pbv 401 (MT-LB)". ointres.se (in svenska). Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Myanmar rebels seize Ukrainian-made MT-LBMSH infantry fighting vehicle". www.armyrecognition.com. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Gas Company Remade a Captured MT-LB Armored Vehicle Into a Handmade Howitzer". Defense Express. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.David Axe (27 October 2022). "Ukraine Is Collecting A Lot Of Russia's Old T-62 Tanks". Forbes.
  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."92nd Brigade armed with MT-LBu-based combat vehicles". Militarnyi. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.International Institute for Strategic Studies (2021). The Military Balance. Taylor & Francis. p. 448. ISBN 9781032012278.
  33. ^ a b c International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2024
  34. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (29 October 2021). "Kurdish Armour: Inventorising YPG Equipment In Northern Syria". Oryx Blog.
  35. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Oryx. "Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine". Oryx. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  36. ^ SAA’s MTLB with the ZU-23-2
  37. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.John Pike. "Ground Forces Equipment – Ukraine". Globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  38. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Drgnęło w eksporcie broni". www.rp.pl.
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  40. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mitzer, Stijin; Oliemans, Joost. "Documenting Equipment Losses During The September 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict". Oryx. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  41. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost. "Vehicles and equipment captured by the Islamic State inside Syria until November 2014". Oryx Blog.
  42. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Puolustusvoimat hankkii miehistönkuljetusajoneuvoja". The Finnish Defence Forces. 24 March 2011. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  43. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kočevar, Iztok (August 2014). "Micmac à tire-larigot chez Tito: L'arme blindée yougoslave durant la Guerre froide" [The Yugoslav armored arm during the Cold War]. Batailles et Blindés (in français). No. 62. Caraktère. pp. 66–79. ISSN 1765-0828.

References

Template:PostWWIISovietAFVS Template:ModernUKRAFVsNav

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