"The most powerful weapon in its class": Kazakhstan's new Taimas infantry fighting vehicle

The Kazakh army is receiving a new 8x8 Taimas infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). It is created by combining the VN-11 turret (from Chinese developer Norinco) with the Arma 8x8 chassis (from Turkish company Otokar). The integration of these components is being carried out at the facilities of local armored vehicle manufacturer Astana MPR Project.

The Taimas was first unveiled at the Victory Day parade in Astana in May 2025. This armored vehicle can accommodate up to 11 troops and is capable of swimming through water, despite its considerable weight of up to 30 tons and dimensions (7,85 x 2,8 x 3 meters). Its engine output is up to 600 hp, enabling road speeds of up to 110 km/h, and a cruising range of up to 800 km. Its armor can withstand a 10 kg explosive charge. The vehicle is also equipped with radiation protection.

The turret houses a 100mm rifled gun from the ZPL04 family, capable of firing guided projectiles, and a coaxial 30mm automatic cannon (variously designated the ZLB02 or ZPT-99), as well as two ready-to-fire HJ-12 IR-guided ATGMs capable of engaging targets from above. A remotely controlled pod with a 7,62mm machine gun can be optionally installed.

This is the most powerful weapon system in the world among IFVs of this class.

- the contractor stated.

According to the developer, the 30mm cannon is used for suppression at ranges of up to 2 km, the 100mm cannon for more accurate direct fire and guided missiles, and the HJ-12 for high-precision fire against armored vehicles at ranges of up to 4 km. Before choosing the Chinese weapon, Kazakhstan tested the Arma chassis with turrets from the BMP-3 and the Aselsan Nefer.

According to the manufacturer, the deal to produce vehicles designed to replace the Soviet-era BMP-2 includes technology transfer, allowing the Astana plant to establish a full production cycle—from cutting armor steel to final assembly.

Several Kazakh publications have claimed that some officials are lobbying for Turkish defense interests, despite the fact that the local manufacturing base is capable of producing armored vehicles domestically, for example, at the Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering plant. This plant manufactures, among other things, the Barys 8x8 armored personnel carrier, based on the Singaporean Terrex platform.

Comments

[Bonzayev Senpai Kamikadzevich]

30 tons and it floats! It holds 10 kg under a wheel. The level of bulletproof and fragmentation protection is clearly better than the BTR-82. It's a shame for our military-industrial complex.

[lynnot]

Holds 10 kg under the wheel

Without any fatal hull damage or crew injuries? So, the TM-62M is no match for it? Uh-huh...

[Alex_12]

One TM kills, and three tears you to pieces like a hamster. I think there's a video where a stack of Bradleys shattered into pieces 200 meters long. And the entire landing party and crew were left scratching their heads.

Quote: Lynnot

TM-62M is no problem for her?

[Yuri_I]

30 tons and it floats! It holds 10 kg under the wheel.

Well yes, we are all gentlemen, we believe...

[Bonzayev Senpai Kamikadzevich]

There is a moment in the video that you probably didn't see.)

[Alex_12]

Quote: Bonzaev Senpai Kamikazevich

There is a moment in the video that you probably didn't see.)

Are you so lordly that it's not a lordly thing to point out the timing and what's so remarkable about it, in your opinion? For someone who's seen dozens of carcasses from landmines and various mines?
Z.Y. Engineering and sapper

[lynnot]

There is a moment in the video that you probably didn't see.)

Marketing is wonderful, multifaceted and diverse.

[faiver]

Well, at least it doesn't hurt for the bankers and the oligarchy...

[d1975-value]

It's hurting you, but I think it's time to put pressure on these allies. Why not buy the module from us? That's not how things are done.

[Iris]

Yes, we have a lot of experience. Azerbaijan, Armenia, Syria, Libya, Serbia, Bulgaria, and so on. We've already pushed them to such a degree that in some regions of the Russian Federation, gas stations have run out of gas.

[d1975-value]

Luckily, I'm not one of those turbo-patriots or squealers; I have my own opinion. But that's not how politics works. The gas ran out for a completely different reason. An example of the War Communism policy—not ours, of course, but there was a result. What have we done? The answer is nothing. Only the lazy haven't written about mobile air defense units. What does the state... what does it do? Where are the laws for time and society? None. And our only ally so far is Belarus, and even then, you know why.

[red-eye]

They won't take them from us because of sanctions, and besides the Boomerang and the BTR-22, nothing new has appeared in the last 20 years. Both vehicles are in an unclear status, both in terms of production capacity and testing cycle.
Kazakhstan is developing cooperation with Turkey and China simultaneously to maintain military balance.
The Otokar Arma platform didn't pass the baptism of fire, but the Estonians chose it (in the 6x6 version) to replace the Patria 6x6, most likely due to the price.
The turret/combat compartment from the ZBD 04A doesn't seem the best to me because of the 30+100 dual-combat system.
(not the best 30 together with a very strange 100 without normal missiles) IMHO, both Turkey and China offer combat modules with 2A42 and ATGMs, and in conditions of distance from Russia (this is a dry fact without emotional coloring), one can consider the transition 30x165 => 30x173, which has developed both in terms of autocannons and their capabilities, and in terms of ammunition

[Konnick]

Quote: Bonzaev Senpai Kamikazevich

30 tons and it floats! It holds 10 kg under a wheel. The level of bulletproof and fragmentation protection is clearly better than the BTR-82. It's a shame for our military-industrial complex.

What's there to worry about? This infantry fighting vehicle is sick...with obesity (30 tons), dimensions (7,85 x 2,8), a high center of gravity (3 meters high), and, of course, high cost.

[bayard]

Quote: Konnick

This IFV is sick...with obesity (30 tons), dimensions (7,85 x 2,8), a high center of gravity (height 3 meters) and, of course, high cost.

But the level of protection is decent, and the ability to cross water obstacles, the engine is powerful, and the speed is 110 km/h. For Kazakhstan, with its arid steppe and light winters, a wheeled IFV is ideal; the distances are just like that. And on wheels, on public roads, under its own power, without trailers (if pressed), it's quick to maneuver. That's impossible with tracks. In Africa and the Middle East, wheels are also generally preferred.
Well, the dimensions are such that they are suitable for water navigation, which is also not superfluous.
A high center of gravity on flat steppe terrain provides good visibility, as well as comfort for the crew and troops. Furthermore, only the infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) has a heavy turret, while the armored personnel carrier (APC) version has better metacentricity. In short, the vehicle looks good for these conditions. Not for our Palestinian terrain and soils, of course, but we've also developed something similar. But without an engine, such a vehicle can't move.

As for "betrayal," there's no point in provoking us with weakness, indecisiveness, lack of agency, and failure. If our former Soviet neighbors don't see us as a "center of power," that's not just their problem. Weakness and a lack of perspective always provoke separatism. What vision of the future has United Russia presented to the "City and the World"? What else can it offer besides oil and gas? What kind of example and "gravitational force" can a state with a dying indigenous people create? Where national interests are traded, and millions of foreign bandits and terrorists are imported. What future do neighboring peoples envision for Russia?
Empty "Russian Field"?
A place for resettlement and the creation of new "caliphates"?
For the white people of Europe and the US, who have retained their sanity and morals, Russia appears to be a "stronghold of traditional values." The Wahhabis have their own values ​​in spades. And these "Wahhabi pants" are being imported here on an industrial scale by United Russia, under the strict and unswerving leadership of the City of London. What "sovereignty," "prospects," and "vision of the future" are they talking about? The ringing emptiness of liberal feudalism. This is the drumbeat of the reborn "Russia we lost." The same drumbeat of dead ends and failure as under the stupid and incredibly unsuccessful Nicholas II.
That's not how "center of power" sounds.
The real Center of Power sounds like a solemn and cheerful march, and a striving for the Future.
And what kind of future is the United Russia cart heading towards?
Maybe they should read Asakov and Sharapov instead of Ilyin?

[lynnot]

But the level of security is decent.

The level of protection in the video is based on the description. The Turks probably also certified their car, from which the body was taken, according to resistance standards. Well, it's all like something out of an Eastern fairy tale. It would be interesting to know the export price.

[Vitaly.17]

Quote: Lynnot

It would be interesting to know the export price.

According to media reports two years ago, the cost of one such vehicle is over $5 million. The high price is likely due to technology transfer. The armor plates themselves are also likely imported from Turkey. Creating one's own based on foreign technology is always more expensive and is only justified if the country continues to develop these areas, which is impossible without access to foreign markets and a strong research and development base.

[lynnot]

The armor plates themselves are also probably brought from Turkey.

As far as I understand, that's still in the distant future. So far, they've only assembled a construction kit from ready-made modules, and maybe even finished it up with a few files.

[multi-category]

You haven't noticed the folding wings on the sides yet.

[Voenoboz]

What about drones and robots? Armor is great, but how do you anticipate the situation, how do you scout the terrain, who will help? They're just infantry delivery vehicles.

[IVZ]

Armor is good, but how do you anticipate the situation, how do you scout the situation, who will help? It's only an infantry carrier.

Judging by the weight (protection) and armament, it's not just a delivery vehicle. Reconnaissance is the responsibility of the appropriate units and equipment. Nothing can be said about the full-time fortune tellers. I haven't heard of any.

[Aerolab]

Well, yes, the Kazakhs are some real developers. Whatever they do, it ends up looking like a yurt or a camel.

[Voenoboz]

You can't do without a barbecue, although where they will ride and who they will butt with is the question.

[lukash66]

What's Kazakh about that? Stick a Chinese turret on a Turkish chassis. And then there's no equivalent.😀😀

[Alex_12]

The Porsche and ZAZ concerns merged to form Zaporshivets.

[hohol95]

Two models - Porsherozhets and Zaporshivets.

[AdAstra]

Another one with no analogues in the world with a bunch of imported components.

[dnestr74]

So, from the BMP 3, the gun is 100 plus 30, damn, they bought it from the Chinese...
What is the population of Kazakhs?

[Sergej1972]

The population of Kazakhstan is just over 20 million, of which 13,5 million are Kazakhs.

[dnestr74]

The designer is a native Kazakh.

[Mars]

It was a shame they installed the 100mm cannon; judging by the experience of using the BMP-3, the BC of this cannon tears the BMP to pieces.

[solar]

The vehicle has anti-radiation protection.

In my opinion, anti-drone defense is more relevant now. Generals are always preparing for the last war :((

[Alex 1805]

Have the Turks and Chinese already signed contracts with the Kazakhs to purchase these IFVs for their armies? NO!!! Are the Turks and Chinese producing anything similar for their own armies or for export? NO!!! And why? Because there's no need for that configuration. A 100mm gun is as useful as a saddle on a cow. Where would this piece of crap sail in Kazakhstan? The Kazakhs themselves would only find this IFV useful if they went to war against the Uzbeks or the Kyrgyz. Its amphibious "advantages" are more of a drawback, greatly increasing the vehicle's cost and complicating its maintenance. It won't be exported. The Kazakhs won't be able to organize service support: the chassis is Turkish, the turret is Chinese, and the integration is Kazakh. It'll scare you to death. There's no dynamic protection or anti-drone protection at all. Where and against whom are they planning to fight with them?

[Vitaly.17]

Quote: Alexey 1805

Where and with whom are they going to fight?

Judging by the training maps Kazakh officers draw at their universities, they've been fighting for 10 years, repelling Russian attacks and capturing parts of the Omsk and Chelyabinsk regions and the entire Krasnodar Krai. I personally saw this on a future Kazakh general before the Second World War.

[Dometer]

Quote: Alexey 1805

The Kazakhs themselves will only find this infantry fighting vehicle useful if they go to war against the Uzbeks or Kyrgyz.

Why fight good neighbors? But if a horde of pickup trucks suddenly breaks through from the wild south, such a vehicle could be a good addition to the Kazakh army's pickups.

[lynnot]

AnalogueNet has also appeared in Kazakhstan.

[Zaurbek]

Before that, there was a good project 4x4, 8x8, 6x6 with a bogie from South Africa.
And the "world's most powerful BO" license is Bakhchi

[APASUS]

Why are our guys so embarrassed? They should buy them in bulk; there's no such thing as too much weaponry.

[Ivan Kuzmich]

Hello my dear brothers and sisters
Why are you so worried about this Kazakh military equipment?!!
Remember, every action has its own reaction.
In short, you can make a 32 mm bolt with a left-hand thread and a fine pitch for any kind of crap