M113 APCs Modernized with Ukrainian Tavria Remote Combat Systems

M113 armored personnel carriers have been armed with a new Ukrainian-made Tavria 14.5/7.62 remote weapon system, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

“Ukrainian gunsmiths have enhanced the firepower of the M113 armored personnel carrier, which the Defense Forces receive as part of international assistance.

They have manufactured a remote-controlled Tavria 14.5/7.62 module and installed it on the armor of this armored personnel carrier,” the Main Directorate for Life Cycle Support of Weapons and Military Equipment reported.

The new turret for the M113 features a KPVT 14.5mm machine gun and a PKT 7.62mm machine gun, enabling operators to fire from within the armored vehicle while observing the battlefield via a monitor.

The new Tavriya 14.5/7.62 combat module is a development of the Tavriya 14.5, which was introduced in March 2024.

The exact technical characteristics of the new equipment are currently unknown, but its previous version, Tavria-14.5, was equipped with an optoelectronic module that allowed it to detect targets at a distance of more than 5 kilometers both during the day and at night.

The developer of the turret also provided STANAG 1 armor for the optoelectronic module housing and weapon control system units.

It was stated that the combat module has the ability to capture and track targets, as well as to conduct accurate fire on enemy targets in motion.

For this purpose, it was equipped with the latest weapon control system, which includes a high-quality stabilization system.

In November 2024, the Tavria-14.5 was approved for operation by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

Equipping M113s with remote-controlled combat modules is especially significant, as most of these vehicles were previously outfitted with large-caliber machine guns mounted on unprotected turrets, exposing the crew to significant risks during use.

Ukrainian M113s have been already equipped with remote-controlled machine gun modules made in Turkey and Spain.