The Military Industrial Company (VPK) is developing a Russian-made brand of inexpensive steel armor to replace costlier foreign analogs in the Russian market. The company is also planning to create its armor ceramics, VPK’s Director General Alexander Krasovitsky told TASS.

SPM-3 VPK-3924 Medved MRAP special police vehicle displayed at Army 2019 defense exhibition (Picture source: Army Recognition)

"We are trying to create our own steel armor, which will be similar to the Swedish analog but will cost 120,000-150,000 rubles per ton instead of 250,000 rubles paid for a ton of Swedish steel armor," Krasovitsky said.

He explained that VPK will cooperate with Russian iron & steel plants in its bid to create the new steel armor. "Today, we are already cooperating with our steel giants," he said adding it would be difficult for VPK to develop the brand on its own.

Besides, VPK wants to bring its own armor ceramics to market. "We are working with many counteragents. At present, we have been assigned with a task to study the possibility of producing ceramic armor. It is a direction, which we are also going to develop," Krasovitsky said. He emphasized that VPK had certain competences in this matter. "First of all, as far as the ceramics is concerned, we have our own producers inside our holding company. Naturally, we will also use the experience of our counteragents," Krasovitsky explained.

At present, the Military Industrial Company (VPK) produces the Tigr-M, Medved and Atlet wheeled armored vehicles; BTR-80 and BTR-82-class armored personnel carriers and vehicles developed from them as well as a prospective Bumerang 8x8 platform.

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