News land-based units

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"?

Traditionally, 155/52 mm guns are mounted on 6x6 or 8x8 heavy trucks to compensate for recoil force and ensure stability when firing. As indicated, the new compact 4x4 chassis offered by Bharat Forge allows it to accommodate the same firepower. As a result, the mass of the ACS is only 24 tons. For example, the weight of the ATAGS howitzer mounted on the chassis is currently 31 tons (probably referring to the Kalyani MArG 8x8 self-propelled gun, also known as the 155mm/52 Caliber Truck Mounted Gun).

In November 2024, Romania signed a contract with the Turkish company Otokar worth €857 million for the supply of 1,059 Cobra II 4x4 armored vehicles. 278 units are to be delivered directly, the rest from mid-2026 should be assembled at an enterprise in the city of Mediash (a joint venture between Otokar and the local Automecanica Mediaș company) with a design capacity of 1.5 vehicles. per day.

Since the end of 2022, the bulk of the Estonian ground forces has been concentrated in the Estonian Division, which consists of two infantry brigades, an artillery division (armed with South Korean K9 Thunder self-propelled guns) and support units. The 1st brigade, stationed in the north, is of the heavy type and is equipped with Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicles and tanks of NATO allies – there are no plans to acquire their own. The 2nd Brigade, located in the south, until recently used Finnish Sisu XA-188 armored personnel carriers and trucks (mainly Mercedes-Benz Unimog) to transport personnel.

In December 2024, the Greek media reported that due to the lack of new equipment purchases, the army would decide to modernize some of the obsolete M113 armored personnel carriers in service. It is planned to improve at least 500 vehicles (out of a total fleet of almost 2,000 units). After completion of the work, they should become full-fledged infantry fighting vehicles, providing protection and firepower at a new level.

One of the most common self–propelled guns in the world is the German tracked howitzer PzH 2000 - 384 copies out of 425 ordered were delivered. It is considered one of the best in its range in terms of crew protection.

The PLA ground forces are divided into "weight categories", each of which has its own main combat vehicle. In light brigades, these are Dongfeng Mengshi armored vehicles (an analog of a Humvee or Tiger); in heavy ones, the ZBD–04A infantry fighting vehicle (similar to the BMP-3, but with local specifics), operating together with Type 99A tanks; in medium ones– the ZBL-08 8x8 floating infantry fighting vehicle.