The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has approved distribution of locally upgraded Khorunzhy armored personnel carriers to the armed forces to defend against Russia’s aggression. This comes after a “deep modernization” effort of the Soviet-made BTR-60s in April 2024. The Bulgarian government donated part of the fleet in February, delivering about 100 BTR-60s to Kyiv the following month. Under the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the revamped BTR-60s have been designated “Khorunzhy.”
Ukraine’s defense agency noted that the armored vehicle has improved features compared to its base system, including a single 330-horsepower diesel engine, a larger fuel tank, a range of over 310.6 miles, and a speed exceeding 49.7 miles per hour. The carrier’s chassis is made of lightweight Finnish steel with enhanced ballistic protection against 7.62-millimeter weapons. The platform’s frontal armor includes an additional steel core to withstand large-caliber machine guns firing from 10 meters away. Khorunzhy’s landing capability was upgraded, along with new surveillance cameras, modern electronics, an air conditioning system, and autonomous generators.
Similar to its predecessor, the Khorunzhy can carry a 14.5-millimeter machine gun and a newly-equipped 30×113-millimeter cannon, available in various configurations including standard personnel carrier, medical evacuation, command-staff, and self-propelled mortar variants. The original BTR-60 was produced from 1960 to 1976 under the Soviet Union’s Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod and later by Romania’s state-owned defense company. Approximately 25,000 BTR-60s have been operational, with multiple nations as users.
