Ukrainian Defence Forces to upgrade Kozak-2M1

31 August, 2023 Kozak-2M1 armored vehicle of the Defense Forces with a RWS, August 2023. Freeze frame from the video A modification of the Kozak-2?1 armored vehicle with a remote weapon station was spotted being used by the Defense Forces.

The video was made public on social media. The armored vehicle received a remote weapon station with a KPVT 14.5mm heavy machine gun mounted on it. A machine gun of this caliber is a powerful weapon, as it poses a threat not only to enemy manpower, but also to fortifications and even armored vehicles.

Bullets of this caliber can penetrate the brickwork or armor of most types of lightly armored equipment used by the Russians. The video shows the controllability of the vehicles gun mount and its firepower. The control is carried out through a remote control, presumably from the place where the machine gun was previously located.

The unknown RWS could not be mapped to any serial foreign sample. However, it is almost identical, except the armored belt, with a module installed in Ukrainian BMP-1LB rebuild from MT-LBu ersatz infantry fighting vehicles.

According to the military operating the BMP-1LB, this RWS is of foreign origin, but this information still needs to be verified. Compared to the samples we saw a few months ago on the IFV mentioned above, the Kozak has its new generation, which is more technologically advanced.

RWS on modernized Ukrainian BMP-1LB and Kozak-2M1

The machine gun installation is equipped with a powerful optical sensor with several surveillance channels, one of which appears to be thermal imaging. It is also interesting that in addition to the operator of the artillery installation, the driver of the new armored vehicle also received digital surveillance equipment.

Digital surveillance camera of the driver on the Kozak-2M1 armored vehicle, August 2023

The installation of the RWS and the integration of the control system into the machine requires serious effort and technological base, so we can confidently say that the work was carried out at the facilities of the manufacturer.

The platform for artillery installation could be a machine which was returned for repair, but it is possible that this is already a new combat unit, which was manufactured after the Russian invasion in 2022.