WheelsOfDefenseGlobal

🇷🇺T-72B3M (Russian Armed Forces, winter 2025/26) with a ‘Bob Marley’ cage armor. This type of cage was once popular, but it has been largely replaced by the lighter and cheaper ‘Leontyev’ version with curly strands of unbraided cables. This shift is largely due to a shortage of cables and the considerable weight of the older design.

@WheelsOfDefenseGlobal

🇻🇳Vietnam T-54 Modernization Updates:

• Viettel specialists report progress on localizing components for the T-54M upgrade package and share details on tanks set for the second phase of modernization.

@WheelsOfDefenseGlobal

📅 30 January 1954 — the tracked armored personnel carrier BTR-50P was officially adopted into service by the USSR:

— Developed on the PT-76 amphibious tank platform, the BTR-50P later received multiple variants. Serial production was assigned to the Stalingrad Tractor Plant, and from 1958 the BTR-50PK version with a roof over the troop compartment entered production.

Key features:
▪️ Large internal volume.
▪️ Good amphibious capability.
▪️ Simple design.
(even capable of mounting an 85-mm gun and firing afloat).

• The BTR-50P became the first and last tracked APC of the USSR. The concept was later abandoned in favor of the BMP-1 and wheeled APCs. Despite its shortcomings, the BTR-50 could have been significantly improved with minimal modifications — a solution realized only by the Czech OT-62 / TOPAS.

• Produced in large numbers and exported worldwide, the BTR-50 remains in service in several countries. In Russia, remaining BTR-50P(PK) vehicles were reactivated in 2023–2024 due to equipment losses.

Patria Group has released new test footage of its latest tracked platform based on the MT-LB — the Patria TRACKX:

— The system is positioned as a next-generation solution for protected mobility in high-threat and extreme terrain environments. By integrating the versatility of a tracked chassis with Patria’s advanced armor and protection technologies, TRACKX enhances operational mobility, survivability, and troop safety across complex terrain, from deep snow to marshlands.

@WheelsOfDefenseGlobal

🇸🇩 Khalifa Series — Sudan’s Mobile 122mm Firepower

— Developed by the Military Industry Corporation (MIC) of Sudan, the Khalifa family represents a successful indigenous effort to convert towed artillery into highly mobile, "shoot-and-scoot" self-propelled systems.

🔹 Khalifa-1 (GHY02):

• Platform: A refurbished 122mm D-30 howitzer mounted on a modified 6x6 Kamaz 43118 truck chassis.

• Performance: Maximum range of 17 km with a firing rate of 8 rounds/min.

• Deployment: Can be readied to fire within just 90 seconds, featuring a protected four-door cab for its 5-man crew.

🔹 Khalifa-2 (GHY03):

• Design: An evolution of the Khalifa-1, often seen with an armored/cab-forward design for enhanced crew protection.

• Capabilities: Carries 45 projectiles and charges with a traverse arc of 40° left/right.

• Tech: Integrated with the Karary IGZ01 Fire Control System, featuring a laser range finder and GPS for precision strikes.

@WheelsOfDefenseGlobal

🇷🇺A T-90M of the Russian Armed Forces with a powerful ‘mangal’ cage armor of the ‘Valery Leontyev’ type. Attention can be drawn to the protective structure installed on the gun barrel. On the upper frontal hull plate (UFP), there is a patented design using cables.

@WheelsOfDefenseGlobal

🇪🇬SM-90 launchers of the S-75M Volkhov (SA-2C Guideline) system of the Egyptian Air Defense Forces on June 30th, 2018.

@WheelsOfDefenseGlobal

ELKE M551 Sheridan aiming over a hill during testing.

🇩🇪Schwerer Waffenträger Infanterie: already 2 years in trials at BAAINBw:

• According to Defence Network, the Boxer Schwerer Waffenträger AFV is still undergoing Bundeswehr trials, with serial production delayed to fix issues found during testing. The first production batch was due last year, but deliveries were postponed to resolve design problems.

• Intended as a rapid-procurement model, the Boxer with the Lance combat module—designated “Heavy Infantry Weapons Carrier" was meant to form the backbone of Germany’s Medium Forces and was considered production-ready. However, BAAINBw reports the demo vehicle delivered in May 2024 remains in trials.

• Germany plans to acquire 123 vehicles built in Australia for about €2.7 billion, with the first 19 originally scheduled for delivery in 2025.

@WheelsOfDefenseGlobal

Sudan 🇸🇩: Picture showing a captured emirati made Nimr Ajban 440A armored personnel carrier mounted by a chinese made 107 mm Type 63 MRLS of the Rapid Support Forces.

@WheelsOfDefenseGlobal

🇷🇺Russian ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun mounted on the BMP-1AM ‘Basurmanin’ during training live-fire exercises.