Made of heavy-duty metal that can withstand tank fire. Fast and maneuverable. Universal rescuers of Ukrainian fighters who not only rescue, but also attack. All this is about the LAVR armored vehicles, which Ukrainian soldiers have been using at the front since 2022.
Starting from the end of last year, the Armed Forces of Ukraine began to actively use state-of-the-art LAVR armored vehicles produced by LAVR International. As stated on the official website, this company is an authorized defense contractor of the US government, with more than ten years of experience in the global security industry. The company is developing world-class customized armored vehicles.
The company's main office is located in the USA, New York County. A plant in one of the Middle East countries has been operating steadily for more than 10 years. Currently, the company is also considering the possibility of localizing production in Poland and the UK - negotiations on this are being carried out quite actively, given the urgent need of the Ukrainian Defense Forces for LAVR armored vehicles. After all, locating factories in Europe will significantly reduce the logistics burden.
Equipment under the LAVR brand is exported to the UK and other European countries. The vehicles come to Ukraine from one of the countries in the Middle East; they are exported by the American LAVR International with the support of investors - the Steel Front program of the Metinvest group, which on an ongoing basis helps to provide Ukrainian defenders on the front line with the necessary armored vehicles - not only under the LAVR brand, but also others manufacturers.
What are the technical characteristics of LAVR armored vehicles?
As noted in open sources, LAVR vehicles are used by special forces, border guards, law enforcement and military operations and are designed to conduct military operations in complex combat zones.
LAVR "TITAN" armored vehicles belong to the category of multi-mission mine-resistant vehicles designed for use in heavy combat zones. This vehicle is highly cross-country, well-armored, equipped with fire weapons and, if necessary, other options.
LAVR armor can withstand fire from 5.45 mm and 7.62 mm weapons, as well as being hit by shell fragments during mortar or artillery fire.
The armored vehicles supplied to Ukraine are internal security vehicles. They are built on the chassis of the Toyota Land Cruiser 70, Ford 550 and Dodge Ram, which makes the car quite spacious. The vehicles have a V-shaped mine-resistant bottom, which is very important in combat conditions.
The LAVR “TITAN” S model armored vehicle supplied to Ukraine is an internal security vehicle. It is built on the OEM Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series chassis and has a 4.5L V8 engine. The armor protection level of this configuration is B6, which can withstand three hits from an M-16 rifle (5.56 caliber) from a 10-meter distance. The capacity of the vehicle allows for the simultaneous presence of up to 8 personnel.
What is known about the use of LAVR by Ukrainian troops on the front line?
The Ukrainian military probably received the first batch of new armored vehicles at the end of last year. Their arrival was not publicly reported, but in December 2022, Defense Blog suggested that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had received an unknown number of LAVR TITAN-S armored vehicles built on Toyota Land Cruiser chassis.
The basis for this assumption was the publication by the OSINT group “Ukraine Weapons Tracker and Observer” of footage from the abandoned city of Pripyat in Northern Ukraine, not far from the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. They spotted several new armored vehicles identified as LAVR.
Despite the fact that these armored vehicles have been effectively serving Ukrainian soldiers for many months, they are rarely talked about publicly.
On August 19, 2023, a detailed review of LAVR armored vehicles was published by the official online publication of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, ArmyInform, whose representatives visited the front line and spoke directly with the military personnel in whose service the American “armored beasts” are located.
From this publication it became known that in Ukraine such armored vehicles are now serving the soldiers of the 81st separate airmobile brigade of the Armed Forces. The vehicles are involved in transporting personnel to combat positions and have repeatedly saved the lives of Ukrainian soldiers during combat missions thanks to their powerful armor.
“The level of protection is quite high, because not a single enemy bullet has yet passed through or wounded my brothers-in-arms,” said squad commander Valentin.
In addition, thanks to the maneuverability of the LAVR, the defenders repeatedly avoided tank fire. Soldiers of the 81st UAEBr said that they once came under tank fire. According to the military, the armored car repeatedly rescued the wounded from the battlefield and did not miss a single fragment from enemy shells. With a capacity for eight people, the vehicle transported up to 16 people at a time.
“There was a moment when the armored car even exceeded our expectations. We came under tank fire. In addition to excellent maneuverability, the LAVR again did not miss a single fragment from enemy shells. Although it can be said about each of us that we were all born wearing a shirt,” the fighter added.
So, we can state: although LAVR armored vehicles are not talked about as much in the public sphere as some other types of military assistance from our Western partners, these vehicles have been effectively serving the Armed Forces of Ukraine for at least nine months, fulfilling their main function - preserving the lives of the Ukrainian military during combat tours or special forces missions.
Indirectly, this makes it possible to change the balance of forces on the battlefield in favor of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, because reliable armor protection significantly reduces potential losses of personnel, especially in front-line areas under constant mortar or artillery fire from the enemy.
