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Ukraine Eyes US M2 Bradley Transmission to Power Its Next-Gen IFV
Ukraine’s state defense industry has signed a memorandum of understanding with RENK America to explore the supply of HMPT 800 transmissions—the latest iteration of a family of gear systems used on vehicles such as the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the M270 multiple rocket launcher.
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
The agreement was announced by Herman Smetanin, CEO of Ukroboronprom, Ukraine’s largest arms manufacturer, on September 3.
According to Ukrainian defense media outlet Defense Express, the agreement with RENK America goes beyond simple procurement. It foresees the delivery of prototype HMPT 800 transmissions for further development of an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) program in Ukraine.
Bradley IFV at work 👀 pic.twitter.com/ioFxFqB3f4
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) December 2, 2023
Analysts at the outlet note that this is a potentially significant step, given the urgent need of Ukraine’s armed forces for additional tracked vehicles.
Bradley tech goes local
The HMPT 500 transmission family is already in wide service. As Defense Express points out, it powers the US M2 Bradley IFV, the M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzer, the AMPV armored personnel carrier, the M270 MLRS, as well as South Korea’s K21 IFV.
French donated HIMARS M270 called LRU working in Ukraine 🔥 😎 🥖 pic.twitter.com/eQJNFY4ilt
— Kvist (@kvistp) July 1, 2024
Some of these vehicles are already in Ukrainian use, making the technology familiar to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The HMPT 800 is a new generation system. It kept the size and interfaces of the HMPT 500, and it offers upgraded performance and could be used not only for new vehicles but potentially for the modernization of Ukraine’s existing fleet.
Path to new IFV
Still, Defense Express argues, the mention of prototypes strongly suggests the project is tied to developing a new Ukrainian-designed IFV.
The outlet notes possible links to Ukroboronprom’s in-house program or to “UkrArmoTech,” a private company already working on tracked IFV concepts.
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Some had speculated the deal could be linked to the planned local production of Rheinmetall’s KF41 Lynx in Ukraine. But Defense Express clarifies that the Lynx uses a different RENK transmission (the HSWL 256), which likely rules it out as part of this particular agreement.
In terms of capabilities, the HMPT 800 is designed for armored vehicles weighing up to 45 tons, with engines producing up to 800 horsepower.
Taken together, the analysis suggests Ukraine’s defense industry is moving toward developing its own IFV — a vehicle that could become a cost-effective alternative to high-priced Western models while meeting urgent battlefield requirements.
Earlier, Ukrainian defense engineers developed a specialized protection system to increase the survivability of American-supplied M2A2 Bradley ODS-SA infantry fighting vehicles against drones and other modern threats.
