IDEX 2025 – Uzbekistan Havztez unveils its Arslon APC family
Uzbekistan Havztez showcased its APCs and artillery at IDEX, or to better say at NAVDEX as, strangely enough, its land platforms were parked alongside navy ships. For the first time the Tahskent-based company exhibited showcased its Arslon armoured personnel carriers in the 6×6 and 8×8 configurations in an international exhibition
Currently, the Uzbek Ground Forces are equipped with Soviet-era wheeled armoured vehicles, BTR-80s and BTR-82s representing most of the fleet. Uzbekistan cooperating with NATO in a broad range of areas, including the development of armed forces, which makes a move towards NATO standard equipment quite urgent. Two vehicles were exhibited, part of the same family, the Arslon, Lion in Uzbek language, one in the 8×8 and the other in the 6×6 configuration.
With a gross vehicle mass of 32,000 kg, the Arslon 8×8 is powered by a 600 hp diesel engine coupled to an Allison 4700SP transmission. Maximum speed is 100 km/h while range is 700 km. The powerpack is located on the right, ventilation grille being visible on the side and on the top pf the vehicle, while on the left we find the driver post at the front followed by the commander, each of them reaching his position via a separate hatch; a third crewmember, the gunner, is also located inside the hull as the turret installed is unmanned. The rear compartment can host six to eight infantrymen, who access and egress the Arslon via a hydraulically operated rear ramp; the ramp contains a door, hinged on the right, in case the ramp cannot be used. A wide hatch on the top of the vehicle, at the very rear, allows soldiers to travel head out. A 360° situational awareness system is installed, one camera being visible on each side of the APC.
The turret looks pretty much like the unmanned Escribano Guardian 30 and seems armed with a 2A42 Shipunov cannon of Russian origin firing 30×165 ammunition, one of the options provided by the Spanish company, no indication of the number of rounds available being provided. Compared to the unmanned turret adopted by Spain on its infantry fighting vehicles, the turret seen on the Arslon 8×8 at IDEX lacks the independent panoramic optronic suite of the commander, which is not visible also on the company brochure; the same seems true for the missile launcher, which is usually installed on the left of the turret. The optronic sight is located on the left side, six smoke grenade launchers being fitted on the front-right of the turret, an equal number being installed on the left side. A coaxial machine gun can be seen on the right of the main cannon. The fire control system is fitted with a battlefield target identification system, a laser detection and warning system and a gunshot detection system providing cueing information to the battle management system.
The chassis has two evenly spaced axles at the front and at the rear, with a greater interval in the middle; wheelbase between axles 1 and 2 is 1,720 mm, that between 2 and 3 is 2,250 mm, and that between 3 and 4 is 1,720 mm. The Arslon 8×8 is 8.84 metres long, 3.30 metres high and 3.43 metres high at the top of the turret. Approach and departure angles are respectively 27° and 30°. It can climb a 30° (75.73%) ramp, move on a 20° (36.4%) slope, can overcome a 0.5 metres wide ditch, a 0.3 metres high vertical obstacle, and ford a water obstacle 1.5 metres deep. Ballistic and blast protection are at Level 4, which can be increased to Level 5 by fitting an add-on kit, fixation bolts being well visible along the chassis.
Switching to the smaller platform, the Arslon 6×6, this has a gross vehicle mass of 21.720 kg, the engine providing 450 hp. Dimensions are of course reduced, with a 7.25 metres length, a 2.95 metres width. Only height is increased, up to 3.5 metres; this is due to the different turret installed, definitely a manned one as episcopes can be seen front and rear. The turret is very similar to a version of the Elbit Systems MT30 manned turret armed with what looks like the Northrop Grumman Mk44 30 mm Bushmaster chain gun, with its fluted barrel. The gunner optronic suite is located on the right side of the turret, while on the top left we find a panoramic sight, which means the vehicle in this configuration should have a hunter-killer capability. No missiles are visible.
The brochure mentions a three-man crew, with the driver in the chassis and the commander and gunner in the turret; however, the six to eight capacity of the rear infantry compartment seems dubious, at least if a two-man turret is adopted, the turret basket occupying a considerable portion of the internal volume.
The 6×6 version keeps most of the 8×8 elements, notably the axles; here the space between 1 and 2 is of 2,000 mm while that between the two rear axles is 1,800 mm. Mobility performances remain exactly the same, while protection is one notch down, base armour ensuring Level 3, which can be upgraded to Level 4 with an add-on kit.
According to information gathered at IDEX, several companies received a request for information from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, the national answer to that being visible at NAVDEX. Havztez started trials with its 8×8 vehicle in summer 2024 and is obviously proposing a national solution to the Uzbek Ground Forces. The fact that two different turrets were shown at IDEX might be linked to a pending decision by the national customer on which calibre standardise its fleet, a considerable number of BMP-2 being still in service, armed with the 2A42 cannon. The Bushmaster II option might be the calibre of choice should Uzbekistan decide to shift to NATO calibres, which would be the most probable selection. The presence of a 155/52 self-propelled howitzer at the Havztez stand was definitely an indication, but this is another story.
Photos by P. Valpolini
