An armored car that is not in the catalog
The MZKT-690400-010 is a 6x6 protected chassis, about which more is known from the plant's social media than from its technical data sheet.
The new vehicle was first seen at a stand. The armored chassis was showcased at the "National Security. Belarus 2026" exhibition, photographs circulated through industry channels, and specifications were listed at length. However, this model still doesn't have a dedicated page in the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant's open catalog. What can be said about a vehicle whose data sheet hasn't yet been published? Only what is confirmed by open sources—and with caveats where the sources remain silent.
From carrier to defender: where the MZKT line gaped
The Minsk plant, operating on the international market under the VOLAT brand, has been producing large, unarmored chassis for decades—carriers of foreign weapons. The classic example is the MZKT-7930 family with an 8x8 wheel arrangement, the basis for a number of Russian and Belarusian vehicles. missile and anti-aircraft systems. The task was straightforward: transport a heavy system off-road and in any climate. Crew protection was out of the question; the cabin remained standard.
By the 2020s, everything had changed. Threats had shifted to the rear and along the transport routes, and transporting crews and equipment in exposed metal became risky. The plant took two paths—both extreme. The first was a full-fledged armored personnel carrier. Volat V2 (MZKT-690003), an 8×8 combat vehicle with a protected hull, troop carrier, and combat module; according to public reports, it will be accepted into service with the Belarusian army in 2025. The second is the heavy hull chassis MZKT-692250 and 692251, where the crew and systems are housed within an armored volume, but at the cost of size and weight.
There was a gaping hole between these two solutions. 8x8 trucks with a hull are powerful but bulky. Unarmored 6x6 trucks like the MZKT-690610, 652513, and 800770 are workhorses for cargo hauling, light and roomy, but their cabs are conventional frame-and-panel construction, designed for road loads, not bullets. Such a cab, by definition, cannot withstand fire. A middle ground was the obvious choice: something simpler and lighter than a hull-mounted truck, but with protection and the ability to install modules. Judging by its layout, the MZKT-690400-010 is designed precisely for this niche.
Protected core and open feed
The vehicle's layout is typical for the factory: a ladder frame with robust side members supporting the cabin, components, fuel tanks, and superstructure. The core of the protection is a welded armored cabin for two and a covered engine compartment: together, they form a protected core around which the entire vehicle is built. Dimensions, according to open sources, are approximately 9400 mm long, 3180 mm wide, and 2550 mm high. Height is crucial here. The crew and engine sit low, protected, while everything above is exposed. The logic is simple: if the engine is damaged, the entire vehicle is disabled, even if the crew is unharmed. Therefore, the powerplant is hidden along with the crew.
There are also mine-resistant solutions: a suspended floor and a spall liner. The floor is separated from the cabin's structural members and is designed to absorb the impact of the underbody deformation during a blast; the liner prevents secondary fragments from the structure itself from entering. The manufacturer hasn't specified the mine-resistant level. So, the components are there, but no one can say yet what kind of blast they can withstand.
The rear, however, remains an open platform. And here it's easy to confuse the classes: we're looking at an armored chassis, not an armored vehicle. The crew and components are protected, but what the module on the frame is protected with depends on the module itself. Put it in an armored container—it will be protected; put it in a regular container—it won't. This is a question of the superstructure; the chassis has nothing to do with it. Hence the entire difference. Volat V2, where the entire corps and the landing force sit under the armor.
Key characteristics from open sources:
- wheel formula - 6x6;
- gross weight - about 27 tons, carrying capacity - about 12 tons;
- engine - diesel YaMZ-536, about 312 hp;
- gearbox - 6-speed hydromechanical produced by MZKT;
- clearance - adjustable, 200–550 mm (base 385);
- tires - 14.00R20 with pressure adjustment and Run-Flat option (driving on a flat tire);
- Armor protection - cabin class Br4, engine compartment - about Br3.
Diesel, hydromechanics and a suspension that squats
Inside the armored capsule is a YaMZ-536 diesel engine, an inline-six from the Yaroslavl Motor Plant. The specifications list power output at around 312 hp; this family has a wide range of tuning options, so this figure should be adjusted for the specific model. The engine is paired with a six-speed hydromechanical transmission of the plant's own design: the torque converter ensures smooth takeoff under load, while the stepped transmission offers familiar controls. Next comes a two-speed transfer case with a locking center differential and drive axles with locking cross-axle differentials. The military all-wheel drive system is standard and, more importantly, proven on previous chassis from the plant—the aforementioned 7930 and the previous-generation heavy-duty trucks from the 6001 family. There's nothing particularly surprising about the transmission.
The suspension is more interesting. It's hydropneumatic, with adjustable ground clearance from 200 to 550 mm, with a base clearance of 385. The range is wide, and both ends serve a specific purpose. The upper limit is for off-road use: the higher the clearance, the less risk of scraping the ground over an obstacle. The lower limit serves two scenarios. The first is camouflage: a lowered vehicle is lower, making it easier to conceal in uneven terrain. The second is airlift: this allows it to more easily fit into an aircraft's cargo hold, where every centimeter counts. The factory's unarmored 6x6 tractors have a conventional, dependent suspension, without such adjustments—here the 690400-010 clearly excels in flexibility.
The maximum road speed is around 90 km/h. The heavier 7930s, by comparison, reach 70–75 km/h, and even that varies from model to model. It's not exactly a technical breakthrough: the 690400-010 is simply lighter and designed for quick deployment, not maximum load towing. Durability is further enhanced with additional components. Two 190-liter fuel tanks are sealed with a self-sealing liner—if punctured, it seals the hole, reducing the risk of fire and fuel loss—and tubeless 14.00R20 run-flat tires allow the vehicle to reach shelter even with a damaged tire.
The gaps begin further. Fording depth, climbing ability, vertical wall height, and range are not provided in the publicly available data sheets—unlike the detailed tables for the 7930. The steering axle layout is also unclear: the 690610 tractor has the first and third axles as steering axles, giving a bumper radius of approximately 11,5 meters, while for the 690400-010, this information was simply not published. It's impossible to reconstruct the figures "logically" here—you'll have to wait for the passport.
Place in the lineup and what we don't know
In terms of weight, the vehicle falls roughly in the middle of its lineup. Its gross vehicle weight of approximately 27 tons places it on par with the unarmored MZKT-652513 (approximately 28 tons), but the 690400-010's payload capacity is lower—approximately 12 tons versus almost 15 tons. Some of the weight is absorbed by the armor, suspension, and survivability features. The contrast with the heavy 800770 is even more striking: the latter carries 22,8 tons on its frame because it's a purely unarmored carrier, with almost all of its weight devoted to payload. The 690400-010's 12 tons is a compromise: it's sufficient for most mid-range modules, while the crew travels under armor.
MZKT-652513 (Volat brand, manufactured by the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant), equipped with a special superstructure
With the hull-mounted 692250 and 692251, it's the opposite. They protect the entire volume, including the equipment compartments and the crew; here, only the nose is covered. But the 690400-010 is lower, more compact, and, judging by its adjustable ground clearance, designed for loading into an aircraft. Which is better? It depends on the purpose. If all-round protection is needed, they go with the hull-mounted chassis. If a low silhouette and the ability to fit into the cargo hold are more important, they go with this chassis. It's clearly designed for the latter scenario.
Separate story — the index itself. In some materials, the vehicle is listed as the MZKT-690400, while in others, it's prefixed with "-010." It appears "690400" refers to the family, and "-010" refers to a specific configuration; this is the factory's custom for designating variants of the same base, although there's no publicly available documentation for this specific model. If so, the index refers to an already assembled version, shown to the public. As for the neighboring versions, 690400-020 and further down the list, there's no way to judge yet what they will be like.
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