Armored personnel carriers YPR-765 in Ukraine
One of the transferred YPR-765 armored personnel carriers, May 2022. Photo by Telegram / BMPD
Back in the spring, the Netherlands handed over to the Kyiv regime a number of YPR-765 armored personnel carriers that had been removed from storage. Later, such equipment fell into the combat zone and supplemented other combat vehicles of Ukrainian formations. However, the moral and physical obsolescence of armored personnel carriers and the superiority of the Russian army have done their job - the number of Dutch vehicles is constantly declining.
Equipment at the front
The Netherlands announced its readiness to transfer old combat vehicles to Ukraine back in mid-April. Their exact number and timing of dispatch were not reported at that time. According to foreign sources, the Dutch army could provide no more than 40-50 vehicles. The Ukrainian side, in turn, wrote about 300 units, and such information, obviously, did not correspond to reality.
Over the next few weeks, the Netherlands organized the shipment of the promised equipment and trained the first crews. As it turned out, vehicles in the configuration of an armored personnel carrier are being transferred as assistance - they are distinguished by the presence of an open turret with a machine gun. Wherein weapon the equipment was not attached, and the recipient had to resolve this issue on their own.
In mid-May, the first photos and videos appeared on Ukrainian resources showing the YPR-765 armored personnel carrier somewhere in Ukraine. At the same time, no more than a few cars were present in the frame, and the actual delivery volumes again remained unknown.
YPR-765 somewhere in Donbass, May 2022. Photo by Telegram / ChDambiev
In early June, it became known about the first losses among imported equipment. During the offensive, our troops found the YPR-765 armored personnel carrier without visible damage. As it turned out, the car got stuck on the ground, and the crew abandoned it along with weapons and various equipment. A special look of the situation was given by the slogan "Peremoga is behind us" on the armor of the car.
In the following weeks, Dutch armored personnel carriers repeatedly appeared in various areas. Losses of such equipment were also reported. At the same time, the frequency of appearances of YPR-765 in published materials is not too high. It follows from this that only dozens of armored personnel carriers were handed over to Ukraine, and reports of 300 vehicles were elementary wishful thinking.
The last reliably known episode of the use of YPR-765 took place on Monday, August 29th. The notorious counter-offensive in the Kherson direction involved, among other things, several imported armored personnel carriers. On the evening of the same day, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Ukrainian side had lost about 30 armored fighting vehicles of various classes, not counting tanks. Apparently, YPR-765 from the Netherlands was also present among the wrecked armored vehicles.
A column of armored personnel carriers in motion. Photo Telegram / ChDambiev
How many YPR-765s were used in the “counterattack”, and how many of them were knocked out by Russian troops, has not yet been specified. However, the total number of such vehicles is small, and each case of destruction of even two or three vehicles causes significant damage to the entire fleet. In addition, such episodes have a negative impact on the overall ground potential of Ukrainian formations.
Development option
YPR-765 is actually a deep modernization of the "classic" American armored personnel carrier M113. The first version of such an armored vehicle, designated as XM765, was created by the American company FMC back in the late sixties. The next few years were spent on finalizing the project and finding buyers.
The new FMC project did not interest the Pentagon, but attracted the attention of several foreign armies. The first in this series were the Netherlands. In 1974, they tested experimental equipment, and a year later the first contract for the supply of armored vehicles appeared. Subsequently, additional agreements were signed, incl. related to licensed assembly at local enterprises. A total of approx. 2100 vehicles designated YPR-765.
The second major customer was Belgium. Since the late seventies, she has purchased and assembled under license more than 1000 cars under the designation AIF-B. In the late eighties, the purchase of YPR-765 began Turkey, who wanted to receive almost 1700 armored vehicles. Less than 300 products were purchased ready-made, the rest were assembled independently.
Armored personnel carrier without weapons. Photo Telegram / BMPD
YPR-765 were produced in different versions. The most massive were armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles capable of transporting soldiers and supporting them with fire. Also, reconnaissance, command and staff, ambulance and other vehicles were made on the existing chassis, depending on the needs of a particular customer.
The USA, the Netherlands and Belgium produced the YPR-765 not only for their own needs, but also for export. In varying quantities, this technique was supplied to the countries of Asia, Africa and South America. At the same time, by now, the first operators began to abandon old armored vehicles. So, the Netherlands decommissioned and partially sold their YPR-765. Similar processes are ongoing in Belgium.
Technical features
YPR-765 was developed on the basis of the M113 armored personnel carrier and retained its main features. At the same time, new solutions and components were used. The resulting sample in the BMP configuration has a combat weight of approx. 13,6 tons, carries up to seven paratroopers and carries cannon and machine gun weapons. In other versions, the weight and equipment change.
For the XM765 / YPR-765, an updated armored hull with a modified shape was created. It is made of aluminum, on top of which steel sheets are installed with a gap. The space between the armor metal is filled with polyurethane foam. In the course of subsequent upgrades, overhead booking modules were offered. Depending on the configuration of the armor, the vehicle can withstand the impact of small-caliber projectiles when fired from the front corners.
YPR-765 abandoned in early June. Photo Telegram / "Turned in the war"
A power unit based on a Detroit Diesel Allison 6V-53T diesel engine with an HP 267 power is placed in the forward compartment of the hull. Power is delivered to the front drive wheels. The caterpillar undercarriage with five rollers on board has a torsion bar suspension. The machine develops a speed of more than 60 km / h and can swim without training.
In the IFV version, the YPR-765 vehicles were equipped with a turret with a 25 mm Oerlikon KBA B02 automatic cannon and a 7,62 mm MAG machine gun. The unified armored personnel carrier received an open-top compact turret with an M2HB machine gun. Other types of weapons could also be used, such as anti-tank missile complexes, mortars, etc.
Deprecation problem
At the time of its appearance, the BTR / BMP YPR-765 was a completely modern combat vehicle with fairly high performance characteristics. However, almost half a century has passed since then, and during this time the requirements for infantry armored vehicles have seriously changed. Despite all attempts to modernize and update, the YPR-765 machines, like the original M113, no longer meet such requirements.
As practice has shown, the mobility of the Dutch armored personnel carrier is insufficient even for the Ukrainian landscape - and in such conditions the vehicle can get stuck. The level of protection does not match the current threats. Own armor and mounted protection blocks can only withstand bullets and some types of small-caliber projectiles. Modern armor-piercing ammunition or large caliber systems pose the most serious threat. At the same time, the YPR-765 in the form of an armored personnel carrier can only carry a heavy machine gun, which limits the possibilities for self-defense and infantry support.
YPR-765 participate in the "counteroffensive" in the Kherson direction, August 29, 2022. Photo Telegram / BMPD
As recent events have again shown, a great threat to armored vehicles is its illiterate use. So, several dozen armored vehicles, including the Dutch YPR-765, were sent to attack practically in an open field, without preparing an operation, without cover, etc. The result of such a "counterattack" was predictable - the Kyiv regime once again lost people and equipment, but did not solve a single task.
A combination of factors
Thus, in the case of foreign YPR-765 armored personnel carriers, one can once again observe already known factors, and how they lead to a predictable result. Ukraine was again handed over unnecessary equipment, obsolete morally and physically, and therefore of no value. The Kyiv regime, in turn, is doing everything possible to lose it as soon as possible, and under the most dubious circumstances.
There is every reason to believe that such trends will continue in the foreseeable future. As a result, the entire delivered batch of YPR-765 machines will be destroyed under certain circumstances, and individual samples will be lucky to become a trophy. As a result, equipment from the Netherlands will not help the Kyiv regime in any way and will not affect the processes of its forced demilitarization.
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