Ukraine Unveils 35-Ton Pegas Infantry Fighting Vehicle With NATO-Level Armor

Ukraine is developing a new 35-ton tracked infantry fighting vehicle called Pegas, designed to combine heavy ballistic protection, cross-country mobility, and a Ukrainian-made combat module.

According to Defense Express on September 8, the vehicle is being developed by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (KhKBM) and was presented as a model at the MSPO 2026 international defense exhibition in Kielce, Poland.

Pegas is designed to transport troops and provide direct fire support across paved roads and difficult off-road terrain. The vehicle measures 8 meters long, 3.2 meters wide, and 3.3 meters high, with a combat weight of around 35 tons.

Its maximum speed is listed at 70 kilometers per hour, with an operational range of 500 kilometers. The vehicle is expected to operate in temperatures ranging from -40°C to +50°C and at altitudes of up to 3,000 meters.

Heavy armor and drone protection

The Pegas hull is planned to feature integrated ballistic, mine, and fragmentation protection. Its frontal armor is designed to meet Level 6 of the NATO STANAG 4569 standard, while the rest of the vehicle is expected to meet at least Level 4.

According to Defense Express, this level of protection is intended to withstand 30 mm fire from the front and 14.5 mm ammunition from other directions.

Additional armor can be fitted to protect the vehicle against shaped-charge weapons, including RPG-7 grenades. Pegas is also expected to carry an electronic warfare system intended to counter drones.

At 35 tons, the Ukrainian vehicle would be larger and heavier than Poland’s Borsuk IFV and fall into a similar weight category to Germany’s KF41 Lynx in its lighter configurations.

Ukrainian-Made Topaz Combat Module

Pegas is expected to receive the BM Topaz combat module, another KhKBM development that is currently undergoing testing.

The planned armament includes a 30 mm cannon, a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun, two anti-tank guided missiles, and a 30 mm automatic grenade launcher. A representative of the developer confirmed that the Topaz is intended for the new vehicle, according to reports from the MSPO exhibition.

The Pegas project remains under development, and no details have yet been disclosed about its troop capacity or a timeline for prototype testing and potential serial production.

If brought into production, Pegas would represent a significant step in Ukraine’s effort to field a domestically developed tracked infantry fighting vehicle rather than relying exclusively on Soviet-designed platforms and Western-supplied IFVs.

In September 2025, Ukraine’s state defense industry signed a memorandum with RENK America to explore supplying prototype HMPT 800 transmissions for a new Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle program. The system is designed for armored vehicles weighing up to 45 tons and engines producing up to 800 horsepower.

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