Ukraine approves homemade Khorunzhyi armored personnel carrier for military use
Ukrainian-made Khorunzhyi armored personnel carrier has been approved for military use, the Defense Ministry said on Sept. 2.
The Khorunzhy is a modernization of the Soviet BTR-60 armored personnel carrier. Equipped with a more powerful diesel engine, the vehicle can hit up to 80 km/h.
Due to a different body layout, the Khorunzhyi is more convenient for landing, the ministry said. Its hull is made of Finnish steel, which has improved the vehicle's ballistic protection, and the frontal armor can withstand shots from a large-caliber machine gun from a 10-meter distance.
The vehicle is equipped with modern electronics, video surveillance cameras, an air conditioning system and an autonomous generator that allows it to operate when the engine is off. It also has a combat module with a 14.5 mm machine gun or a 30x113 mm cannon.
The Khorunzhyi can be produced in six variations, including as an armored personnel carrier used to transport troops, battlefield evacuation, a repair vehicle, command vehicle and as self-propelled mortar vehicle.
More than 110 models of Ukrainian and foreign-made military vehicles have been approved for use in Ukraine as of early June, the ministry said. One third of the vehicles were reportedly domestically produced while the rest were made in over 20 countries, including the U.S., the U.K. Germany, Sweden, and Italy.
Chris York
