The Kharkiv Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau, also called, Morozov, completed the delivery of all 10 BTR-4E armored personnel carriers ordered three years ago to the Ukrainian National Guard.
As reported by the Ukrainian Military Pages, the contract for ten BTR-4Es worth 220 million UAH was signed in October 2017. While the deliveries were expected to be completed in August 2018, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were reported to face interruption in deliveries due to negligent actions of the facility’s previous management and Ukroboronprom. right after two armored personnel carriers were delivered.
According to the Ukrainian Military Pages, the contract with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense could be implemented in late 2019, following the intervention of President Volodymyr Zelensky. After the Ukrainian Armed Forces finally took delivery of 45 armored personnel carriers in August 2020, the contract pertaining to the National Guard was executed.
The delivery of eight armored personnel carriers to the Ukrainian National Guard took place on December 11, 2020, during a working visit to Kharkiv by the new head of Ukroboronprom, Yuri Gusev.
Ukrainian Army gets delivery of modernized BTR-80 APCs
Mykolayiv Armored Factory officials upgraded Soviet-era armored personnel carriers. As part of this modernization, all electronic components were switch and Ukrainian-made surveillance, navigation and communication systems were integrated. It is also reported that new digital radio stations supplied from ASELSAN were integrated into the modernized BTR-80 wheeled armored personnel carrier vehicles. The communication systems offered by ASELSAN are designed to provide efficient communication between the armored units and infantry units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Ukrainian Armed Forces call this modification of armored units “network-centric”.
Mykolayiv Armored Factory Manager Yuri Kravchenko stated regarding the delivery in November 2020 that the BTR-80 APCs were equipped with the latest thermal systems and their day/night operation capability was improved. “The new BTR-80 digital communication devices comply with NATO standards,” Kravchenko said, adding that a large number of modernized armored personnel carriers were delivered to the army. In May 2020, a large number of modernized BTR-80 wheeled armored personnel carrier vehicles were also delivered to the Ukrainian Army.
