Turkmenistan is looking at becoming the first foreign operator of the newest Serbian Lazar 3 combat vehicle.
The story was first reported by Sputnik agency, which cited Ambassador of Serbia to Russia (also representing the country in Turkmenistan) Miroslav Lazanski.
Miroslav Lazanski told the Russian news agency that the Serbian defense company Yugoimport-SDPR has received a contract for new Lazar 3 combat vehicles from Turkmenistan.
He did not elaborate on the exact number of Lazar 3s Turkmenistan plans to buy.
In addition, earlier in March, Yugoimport-SDPR also received a $37 million (3.7 billion dinars) contract for new Lazar 3 8×8 combat vehicles for the Serbian Army.
According to the Serbian Ministry of Defense, with this contract, the number of “Lazars”, modern armoured combat vehicles, will be considerably increased in our armed forces.
The design of the Lazar 3 is configured in three main parts with the driver and commander at the front left side with the engine at the right.
The Lazar 3 is intended for infantry and special units and it is constructed in accordance with the most modern trends in the development of wheeled armoured vehicles. It is characterized by high mobility and protection of forces.
Lazar 3 can be equipped with various types of weapons such as an M15 remote controlled weapon station (RCWS) with 12.7mm machine gun and a 30 mm gun turret, which allows it to engage ground targets such as lightly armoured and logistics vehicles, command posts and enemy manpower, as well as air targets – helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The 8×8 drive and the modern system of independent suspension of all eight wheels, provide the Lazar 3 armoured combat vehicle with high mobility and payload capacity. The power train is located in the front right part of the vehicle, in a protected space that is completely sealed off from the crew space, and the central transfer case transmits the torque to all wheels. All the shafts provide power, while the first two steer the wheels.