The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense has released a video showcasing a modernized BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle equipped with the Slovak-made DVK-30 weapon station featuring a 30mm cannon, Janes reports.
This upgrade is particularly noteworthy as it addresses a fundamental issue of the BMP-3. While ordinarily the crew quite literally sits atop the stockpile of 100mm shells, the Emirati design eliminated this shortcoming and replaced the original armament with a more suitable and safe configuration for an infantry fighting vehicle.
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The upgraded BMP-3 with the Slovak turret was displayed during a visit by the UAE Minister of Defense to the Reserve Forces Command. However, as noticed by Janes, a sign visible on the headquarters building said it was the UAE's 5th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Command, "making it more likely" that these modernized BMP-3s have already been reintroduced into active service.
Reports indicate that the UAE received up to 700 BMP-3s from russia in the 1990s, though many remained in storage and were later replaced by Rabdan 8×8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicles.
On a note from Defense Express, one unresolved question remains. In February 2025, Turkey officially took over the BMP-3 modernization program for the UAE, with Turkish defense firm FNSS assuming responsibility for the upgrades, while russia was dropped from the project. At the time, the specific parameters of FNSS's modernization efforts were undisclosed.
The first public appearance of the BMP-3 equipped with the DVK-30 turret dates back to December 2024, raising the question of whether this turret upgrade represents a separate initiative or is part of the broader modernization program now overseen by FNSS.
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