The State Military-Industrial Committee of the Republic of Belarus confirmed that the Volat V2 armored personnel carrier (APC), designated MZKT-690003-021, was adopted into service with the Belarusian Armed Forces after completing state trials. This four-axle, 8×8 wheeled vehicle, developed by the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant (MZKT), is the first fully domestically produced APC of its category in Belarus. It will be publicly presented at the MILEX-2025 military exhibition in Minsk, scheduled from May 21 to 24.
The Volat V2 was designed to perform functions such as troop transportation, fire support, amphibious operations, and special mission deployment. Its adoption is part of Belarus’s strategy to replace legacy Soviet-era vehicles, including the BTR-70, BTR-80, BMP-1, and BMP-2, with a vehicle that integrates contemporary standards in protection, mobility, and firepower. The development of the Volat V2 is linked to the earlier “Umka” program, initiated between 2008 and 2010 in collaboration with Russian entities. This project was halted due to insufficient funding and a lack of formal contractual agreements.
MZKT resumed the project independently in 2016, and a prototype was first publicly displayed at MILEX-2021. The V2 follows a layout with a front-mounted engine and transmission, a central crew section, and a rear troop compartment accessed via a powered ramp. The welded armored hull provides frontal protection rated to Br5 and side armor to Br4 under GOST 34282-2017. Anti-mine protection meets STANAG 4569 level 2a/2b standards, with resistance to blasts from 6 kg of TNT under the wheels and 1 kg under the hull.