"We don't have a fully-fledged armored personnel carrier": KAMAZ has taken on the creation of a new armored vehicle.
Today, Vladimir Putin met with Sergey Kogogin, CEO of KAMAZ. The head of state noted that, despite the challenging times, the company is coping.
Kogogin stated that in 2022, following the "divorce" from its Western partners, the company had to adapt to new conditions. By 2021, the design of the entire K5 line (fifth-generation tractor units) was nearly complete. After the break with the West, half of the project had to be redone. However, now, thanks to import substitution, the situation is beginning to improve. Several dozen K5 vehicles are sold monthly.
At the same time, Kogogin noted that in connection with the start of the SVO, the workload on the enterprise has increased significantly:
During the first stage, I had to work for over two years, without any weekends or vacations at all. Just imagine how much our state defense procurement has grown. […] To some extent, I consider this a heroic achievement.
According to him, annual production at the special military vehicle plant has increased from 70 units to 3,8. The equipment is being adapted to meet military requirements. For example, the K-4386 (Typhoon-VDV) can now "provide support for a special task force during a short engagement," and the Mustang (KAMAZ-6350) flatbed truck is being upgraded with an armored cab.
As Kogogin stated, although “this is not exactly our topic,” there is a pressing need to create a new armored personnel carrier:
Our armored personnel carrier is outdated and does not have a fully functional one.
Therefore, the company has taken on this task. This year, it plans to manufacture and begin testing the new armored personnel carrier, and next year, to produce a pilot batch.
For our part, we note that, given the expertise of KAMAZ and modern requirements for armored vehicles, the new vehicle will most likely have a completely different layout compared to the BTR-80/82, having a front-mounted engine and a ramp in the rear for convenient and safe exit of troops under the cover of the hull.
We should expect the active use of MRAP technologies to enhance mine protection. Moreover, KAMAZ has extensive experience creating armored vehicles in the Typhoon series, featuring a V-shaped underbody and mine-resistant seats to protect the crew from blasts.
During the meeting with the President, Kogogin noted:
Shelling is now extremely rare, mostly [it's] hanging nets from drones.
In this regard, it can be assumed that the APC from KAMAZ will receive advanced means of protection against UAVs, at least of a passive type.
However, the wait is short: a prototype should be ready this year, which will allow for a full evaluation of the new product, designed to replace the obsolete BTR-82A.
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