Ukrainian Armor unveiled its Varta 3 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle at the MSPO trade show. (Breaking Defense)
KIELCE — The CEO of Ukrainian Armor says that the Eastern European firm is looking to German industry, potentially like Mercedes-Benz’s defense arm, in a bid to forge an industry partnership to support manufacturing of two new land vehicles unveiled at the MSPO trade show.
Speaking about plans for the Saigak Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) and Varta 3 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle, unveiled here, Vladyslav Belbas told Breaking Defense, “We are trying to pay attention to the German market, in terms of [securing] cooperation with German companies such as Mercedes-Benz.”
Saigak, he said, represented the firm’s first foray into light armored vehicles, while the Varta 3 is “based on” the Mercedez-Benz Unimog chassis. Saigak features an active protection system that the company says can defeat up to 20 First Person View (FPV) drones, amid a proliferation of the aircraft dominating the war in Ukraine.
Belbas said that the vehicle is “dedicated” to transforming unarmored civilian pick-up vehicles and protecting them from drone threats, adding that the conflict’s “kill zone” currently stretches between 20 to 30 kilometers (12.4 to 18.6 miles), while longer-range drones can attack as far out as 100 kilometers.
