Ukraine develops new tracked armored personnel carrier

Ukrainian defense manufacturer UkrArmoTech has launched factory trials of a prototype tracked armored personnel carrier called the Skif, marking the company’s first venture into tracked armored vehicle development after establishing itself as one of Ukraine’s leading producers of wheeled armored platforms.

The announcement was reported by Defense Express. For UkrArmoTech — known for wheeled armored vehicles including the Hyurza, Tysa, and Desna — the Skif represents an entirely new category of combat platform. The company has designed and built the vehicle from the ground up, drawing directly on combat experience accumulated during Russia’s full-scale invasion, which has generated specific and updated requirements from Ukraine’s military for tracked armored vehicles across a range of roles.

The immediate benchmark the Skif is designed to surpass is the American-developed M113, a platform that Ukraine has received in significant quantities across multiple variants during the war. The M113 has earned a solid reputation in Ukrainian service — described as reliable, maintainable, spacious, and capable enough in cross-country mobility despite its age. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense used that platform as the baseline and tasked domestic manufacturers with producing something that would exceed the M113 in protection and firepower without sacrificing off-road capability. The Skif is UkrArmoTech’s answer to that requirement.

The prototype’s hull is constructed from aluminum armor — a first for Ukrainian defense companies working with this material for combat platforms. The choice is not necessarily final. Defense Express noted there is a significant possibility that export restrictions on armored aluminum from foreign suppliers could push UkrArmoTech to develop a steel-armored variant as well. If that happens, the company would need to revisit suspension and hull design requirements accordingly. All decisions on the production configuration will be informed by data gathered during the current factory trials of the aluminum prototype.

In its aluminum configuration and at maximum loadout, the Skif is estimated to weigh up to 15 metric tons. Power comes from a 360-horsepower diesel engine, and the design deliberately accommodates engines from multiple manufacturers through standardized mounting and drivetrain interface points — a feature intended to preserve flexibility in the supply chain and reduce dependence on any single source. Key drivetrain and running gear components — engine, transmission, suspension elements, transfer case, and tracks — are planned to be sourced through imports, at least initially. UkrArmoTech estimates that up to 60 percent of components in early production vehicles will be imported, with a stated intention to progressively transition toward domestic production of individual parts and assemblies over time.

Protection levels are specified to NATO STANAG 4569 standards: Level 4 ballistic protection at the frontal arc, Level 3 on the sides and rear. Mine protection for the hull floor and under-track is rated at Levels 3a and 3b, with additional underbelly armor fitted. The vehicle is expected to withstand the detonation of six kilograms of explosives both under the tracks and beneath the hull floor.

Firepower is delivered through a remotely operated weapon station mounted on the roof, available in two configurations: a primary 12.7mm heavy machine gun or a 14.5mm heavy machine gun paired with a 7.62mm coaxial weapon. Both weapon stations are domestically produced Ukrainian systems. The vehicle is also equipped with communications, navigation, and situational awareness systems, electronic warfare equipment, air conditioning, and a filtration and ventilation unit — all sourced from Ukrainian partner companies that already supply UkrArmoTech’s wheeled armored vehicle production lines. All parameters and equipment configurations can be adapted to customer requirements.

The current factory trial phase is focused on validating the maturity of the platform concept, assessing driving characteristics and mobility, and stress-testing all major assemblies under maximum permissible loads through dynamic testing. That data will directly shape the path forward — including whether the production Skif retains aluminum armor or shifts to steel.

Ukraine’s tracked armored vehicle requirements have been sharpened by more than two years of high-intensity mechanized warfare. The Skif program represents one of the clearest examples yet of Ukraine’s defense industry attempting to build purpose-designed domestic solutions around hard lessons learned on the battlefield, rather than relying solely on foreign platforms.