Burma-watchers worldwide generally hold that Rangoon six years ago concluded a massive arms purchase deal with Ukraine involving 1,000 armoured personnel carriers (APCs).

This acquisition, which had an estimated value of US$500 million, would have substantially bolstered Burma’s inventory of some 325 APCs.

In October 2006, an Asia Times article reported that the vehicles would be assembled at a new facility 12 km to 15 km outside Meiktila, an important air force town.

Ukraine reported in 2004 its transfer of 10 fully assembled BTR-3U to Burma a year earlier, the only official acknowledgement of a bilateral trade involving this vehicle. Currently, there is no information, about the total number of BTR-3U which are in service with the Myanmar armed forces.

According Pakistan Defence blog, Myanmar has assembled 600 BTR-3U APCs and 200 MT-LB MsH IFVs locally.

The BTR-3U armoured personnel carrier has been developed in 2000-2001 by an international consortium. The companies involved in the project include the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau of Ukraine, the ADCOM MANUFACTURING Company Limited WLL of Abu-Dhabi, UAE, and the State Scientific Technical Centre of Artillery & Rifle Arms of Ukraine. This vehicle is improved version of the Russian-made BTR-80. It's also a further development of the BTR-94.

The BTR-U is fitted with the one-man turret Shkval which is armed with one 30mm gun, one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, one 30 mm automatic grenade launcher and two anti-tank guided missile launchers (wire-guided Red Arrow missiles of Chinese origin).