Ukraine manufactures prototype of APC hull from steel supplied by NATO ally

State-run Kyiv Armored Plant, which is part of Ukraine's state-run military-industrial concern Ukroboronprom, has manufactured the prototype of a BTR-3DA armored personal carrier (APC) hull from armored steel supplied by one of the NATO member states.

Read alsoUkrainian Army gets first BTR-4 APCs made of new Ukrainian armored steel (Photo)

"The prototype of the hull whose manufacture requires the welding over 1,800 individual parts, including 1,000 armored components, will soon be delivered to a shooting ground for testing, which will be supervised by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. The hull will be fired at from minimum distances; various weapons, in particular, a large-caliber machine gun will be used," Ukroboronprom's press service said in a statement on November 16.

If the tests are successful and Ukraine's military and security agencies order the equipment, Kyiv Armored Plant will be able to independently weld hulls for the BTR-3DA and other military vehicles on its basis. It is expected to significantly expand the production of this type of armored vehicles, which has proved to be effective amid hostilities in Donbas.

UNIAN memo. The BTR-3DA armored personnel carrier is manufactured by Kyiv Armored Plant. It is equipped with a Shturm-M combat module with an automatic 30mm ZTM-1 cannon (its firing rate is 330 rounds per minute), as well as a machine gun and an automatic grenade launcher. The modern digital complex with a laser range finder and gun stabilizer ensures high precision of fire. Moreover, the BTR-3DA is equipped with a high-precision anti-tank complex, Barrier, which is capable of destroying modern enemy armored vehicles at a distance of up to 5 km.