TSAMTO, April 20th. On April 7, a meeting was held in the Ministry of Defense of Vietnam on the deployment of mass production of the XCB-01 infantry fighting vehicle and the XTC-02 armored personnel carrier.
According to the press service of the Vietnamese People's Army (VPA), the event was chaired by the Deputy Minister of Defense of Vietnam, Colonel General Pham Hoai Nam. Both products were developed and manufactured by the General Department of Defense Industry (GDDI) as part of the state program for the development of the national defense industrial base.
Following the meeting on April 7, Colonel General Pham Hoai Nam instructed GDDI to promptly distribute tasks among executive departments and ensure full availability of production lines, technical documentation, technological equipment and personnel. The supply of components must be guaranteed by both domestic production and foreign suppliers. The Directive provides for the deployment of production facilities necessary for the acquisition of military units of the Armed Forces.
The launch of the XCB-01 and XTC-02 into mass production fits into Hanoi's overall strategy to reduce dependence on arms imports and build the capacity of the national defense industry. Both projects will be presented at the 3rd Vietnam International Defense Exhibition, which this year was commissioned by the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam.
The XCB-01 tracked infantry fighting vehicle has been developed since 2022 on the basis of the Soviet-made BMP-1. Production is concentrated at the Z189 plant. The vehicle is equipped with a 73mm smoothbore cannon with a semi-automatic loading system, a twin 7.62mm machine gun, a B72 anti-tank missile launcher and a 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun. The body of the vehicle has undergone structural changes relative to the base platform: the height of the troop compartment has been increased, and side float screens have been installed to ensure amphibious performance.
According to GDDI, the XCB-01 project has officially completed the second stage of state testing. The tactical and technical characteristics of the machine are recognized as meeting the established requirements. To date, several dozen units have been produced, which have been transferred to the VNA units for experimental military operation. Samples of the car also took part in the parade on September 2, 2025 in Hanoi on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Independence Day of Vietnam. The completion of product acceptance at the Ministry of Defense level is scheduled for April 2026.
The XTC-02 armored personnel carrier with a 4x4 wheel formula is also developed in the GDDI structure. The vehicle is equipped with an automated weapons system that provides detection, tracking and destruction of targets on the move. The prototypes demonstrated high levels of maneuverability and speed. For the first time, the product was presented publicly at the parade on September 2, 2025 in Hanoi.
According to the statement of the Deputy Minister of Defense, Colonel General Pham Hoai Nam, the XTC-02 project will soon complete the procedure for re-approving the configuration, tactical and technical characteristics and acceptance at the Ministry of Defense level.
The planned pace of serial production of the XTC-02 APC should be comparable to the pace of production of the XCB-01 infantry fighting vehicle. The developers describe the technologies used as having been independently mastered for the first time in the Vietnamese defense industry.
