Military vehicle manufacturer Ukrainian Armor has handed over the first batch of new Novator-2 armored personnel carriers to the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU), the company's press service announced in a Facebook post.
CEO of Ukrainian Armor Vladyslav Belbas noted that during the creation of this vehicle, the engineers were taking into account all the needs and wants of the guardsmen. The resulting product had undergone almost year-long tests before entering mass production.
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Belbas emphasizes that Ukrainian Armor became the first manufacturer to supply armored cars with electronic warfare equipment to the Ukrainian Defense Forces (to which the NGU belongs). The exact type or manufacturer of the electronic jammer is not detailed, although earlier the company was looking into the possibility of integrating EW solutions from Kvertus with its armored vehicles.
"We hope for cooperation and feedback from the combat units on how the vehicle performs in battle conditions in order to improve it as much as possible, taking into account the realities of modern warfare," the Ukrainian Armor CEO said during the handover event.
In turn, Deputy Commander of the National Guard, Oleksandr Bilous, mentioned that Novator-2 was manufactured to their order, prompted by the relevant need of having an armored carrier for a combat group type of unit.
"Each combat brigade of the National Guard will receive such vehicles," Bilous stated.
On a reminder from Defense Express, the new 10-seater Novator-2 armored car was presented for the first time in September 2023 at the MSPO exhibition in Poland. The newly created vehicle builds upon the merits of the previous version of Novator while also utilizing the real combat experience of the Ukrainian military in fights with the russian invasion forces to meet the requirements of a modern-day battlefield.
The reason to create a whole new vehicle with an increased capacity up to 10 personnel in the landing sqaud compartment is explained precisely by the relevant needs of the Ukrainian military. Even still, Novator-2 is in fact not much larger than its 5-seater predecessor, the length of the vehicle increased by only 10 cm.
The main changes in the armored carrier came down to reshaping the part previously was reserved for luggage: it was enclosed in armor and 5-centimeter thick bulletproof windows were installed, as well as additional seats and a hatch in the back — it can be used as an additional firing point or as an extra exit for disembarkment. Defense Express discussed all the novelties in more detail in a separate article.
The company didn't stop there and by March 2024 started tests of the further updated Novator-2 with a remote controlled weapon station of domestic production known as TAVRIYA-14.5 equipped with a KPVT 14.5mm machine gun.
Next, Ukrainian Armor is planning to integrate EW systems with a dome-like interference field into their armored vehicles to protect them against enemy killer drones.
Read more: Novator Vehicle Drove Over a Landmine: Reinforced Armor Cabin Saves the Crew (Photo)
