The Netherlands delivered decommissioned armored personnel carriers to Ukraine

Alexander Sychev

In Holland, the car was decommissioned in 2012. Today, about 500 machines are stored in warehouses. So, the Dutch have something to share from their reserves.

This IFV is a slightly revised version of the American M113, which began production in the United States in the early days of 1960 and ended in 2007. In 1981, the Belgian company BMF (Belgium Mechanical Fabrication) bought a license for their production and organized assembly at its new factory in Aubange.

In addition to BMF, several companies took part in the production. The Dutch, or rather the German company Henschel-Werke from Antwerp, supplied a rotating commander's cupola with optics and radio electronics installed in them.

Like the M113, the YPR-765's body is made of welded aluminum. Sheets of armored steel are bolted along the sides of the vehicle and on the frontal part.

Crew - three people. The driver's seat is located in the front left side of the hull, behind him is the commander, who has his own turret with a hatch, and the shooter is near the rapid-fire cannon. When firing, it is protected on the sides by steel sheets. The machine is equipped with a combined sight and four periscope observation devices.

The personnel compartment is located at the rear of the hull. The vehicle can accommodate up to seven fully equipped infantrymen. Six sit back to back facing the four rifle embrasures in the sides, and one is between the commander and the shooter. Access to the troop compartment is through a large hatch in the roof of the hull and two electric doors in the aft.

The engine and transmission for cars were brought from the USA. The YPR-765 is powered by a Detroit Diesel Allison 6V-53T multi-fuel V-twin six-cylinder diesel engine with 267 horsepower. It allows you to develop a maximum speed of 61 kilometers per hour on the roads. The fuel supply is enough for 490 kilometers. The automatic transmission has three speeds forward and one reverse.

The torsion bar suspension consists of five wheels on each side with a drive sprocket at the front and a driven sprocket at the rear. The caterpillars are equipped with rubber-metal hinges, and the steel tracks are equipped with removable rubber pads. The weight of the car in full gear is a little less than 14 tons.

Instead of the American Bushmaster automatic rapid-fire cannon, a similar 25-millimeter KVA-BO2 cannon from Oerlikon was installed on the Dutch machine. The rate of fire reaches 570 rounds per minute. The initial speed of an armor-piercing projectile is 1100 meters per second. At a kilometer range, such a projectile is capable of penetrating an armor plate 25 millimeters thick.