News land-based units

MWM: only a fifth of the AFU tank fleet is suitable for combat conditions

Outdated Soviet T-64 vehicles remain the basis of the Kiev regime's armored forces, writes MWM. Today, these tanks are powerless against the latest Russian weapons of destruction and attack UAVs. The situation is aggravated by the incompetence of the command and the critical wear and tear of all equipment.

On January 30, 2026, the US Department of Defense's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) sent four notifications to the US Congress about the possible upcoming sale of a number of weapons systems and military equipment to Israel through the US Foreign Military Sales Program (FMS), including 30 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 3250 light wheeled armored vehicles JLTV (4x4).

NYT: New Abrams tanks will get a remote control option

The Ukrainian conflict may put an end to the development of new tanks, writes the NYT. Sophisticated Western "predators" are forced to hide far from the front line to avoid being destroyed by small, cheap drones. However, many experts are sure that it is too early to write off tanks.

The Russian defense industry is counting on success in promoting the latest Sarma MLRS on the export market, which has arrived in Saudi Arabia for the upcoming defense products exhibition. On this occasion, the Military-industrial complex noted:

In early February, Saudi Arabia will host the international exhibition World Defense Show, which will be attended by the world's leading defense companies. Rostec also decided not to stand aside. He intends to demonstrate the nine Premiers to potential buyers, in particular, the new BTR-22 8x8, the arrival of which was captured in Riyadh.

Singapore's Ministry of Defense has signed a contract with a local company, ST Engineering, to supply a "new generation" TITAN infantry fighting vehicle based on the Terrex s5 8x8 platform, which was its first order. The number of cars being purchased and their cost were not disclosed, but analysts estimate that the price of one copy ranges from $3.5 to 4.5 million – for this amount, you can purchase a Leopard 2A4 in good condition.

The Norwegian company Kongsberg has signed a contract worth $22.4 million for the supply of 16 remotely controlled Protector RT20 turrets for the new ARV ("advanced reconnaissance vehicle") 8x8 armored vehicle of the United States Marine Corps, replacing the obsolete LAV-25 8x8, which have been in service since 1983.

The PASI XA-188 6x6 is a heavy version of the XA–180 APC, specially developed by the Finnish company Sisu (now Patria) commissioned by the Dutch Marine Corps. Unlike the basic version, it has reinforced armor and is able to withstand a bullet from a 14.5 x 114 mm cartridge. Because of this, she became heavier and stopped swimming.

In October last year, it was announced that the Ukrainian Armored Vehicles company had begun production of 105- and 155-mm artillery shells and 120-mm tank ammunition in the country under license from the Czech concern Czechoslovak Group (CSG).

On January 26, the Romanian government revealed detailed spending plans for funds allocated to Bucharest under the European Union's SAFE (Security Action for Europe) defense procurement program.

The Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan has been actively expanding cooperation with the Turkish defense industry in recent years. In particular, in February 2025, the Besqaru plant was launched, where the production of armored vehicles was launched under license from the Turkish defense giant Otokar.

The Turkish company ASFAT has released a video demonstrating the use of the recently adopted (in November 2025) self-propelled howitzer Panther T-155 TTA (also known as Arpan 155).

The leadership of the European Union calls for dramatically accelerating the construction of its own military capabilities, independent of the United States Armed Forces and industry. However, there are several reasons why this task is almost impossible. And it's not about the lack of funding.

The newspaper Kommersant published Ruslan Pukhov's article "The time of the Guards Tank Divisions is irretrievably gone" with the subtitle "Ruslan Pukhov, Director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, on the upcoming revolution in military affairs."

The armies of the West are actively updating the main shock fist. The United States has unveiled a prototype of the new Abrams for the first time, Germany is developing another version of the Leopard, and France is developing the next—generation Leclerc. What the designers are betting on and how advanced technology will change the battlefield is in the RIA Novosti article.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces will receive new PMMC G5 tracked armored vehicles manufactured by the German company FFG. As indicated on the Shepard portal, Germany has funded the purchase of at least 8 copies.

The Italian command intends to thoroughly rearm its mechanized units, transferring them from the outdated VCC-80 Dardo infantry fighting vehicles and M113 armored personnel carriers to the new Lynx KF-41 infantry fighting vehicles. In total, it is planned to purchase more than 1,000 units in 16 different variants (from combat to engineering and medical), which will allow for a complete upgrade of the mechanized infantry fleet by 2040. Armored vehicles will be used by heavy brigades. The average price of one car is estimated at about €15 million.

Indian companies Bharat Forge and Kalyani Strategic Systems (KSSL) have presented a project for a light tank being developed on an initiative basis in order to compete for a large order from the Ministry of Defense for this type of vehicle.

On January 26, the EU Council approved the allocation of a €5.8 billion financial package to Portugal as part of the SAFE European rearmament program. Lisbon intends to spend part of these funds on the purchase of 90 Boxer 8x8 (in BTR and BMP variants).

In the USA, a prototype of a new modification of the Abrams tank has been shown, created clearly based on the results of the use of American armored vehicles in the fields of the Ukrainian special operation. What shortcomings did Abrams have in the service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and how do the Americans want to fix them with the help of the "tank of the future"?