Uzbekistan prefers Russian Typhoon armored cars to American armored vehicles

The Defense Ministry of Uzbekistan praised the Russian Typhoon armored cars, recently supplied to the country’s army, rg.ru reports.

For four years now, the Uzbek military has been using American armored vehicles of various modifications, delivered in 2015 as part of the program for eliminating surplus assets of the US Army. In fact, the armored vehicles were donated – Uzbekistan paid only for its delivery. In February 2019, the head of the Central Command General Joseph Votel presented the US Senate with a report on the need for new arms supplies to Central Asia in order to strengthen relations with its states and prevent them from buying Russian equipment.

Seven months after this report, Uzbekistan received the Russian Typhoons and ordered a large batch of armored cars.

“Before deciding to purchase Russian cars, they were seriously compared with American ones. The most important thing for us is the maintainability and availability of spare parts. Operating Typhoon vehicles is much easier. In addition, they perform better in the mountains,” an officer of the armored service of the Defense Ministry of Uzbekistan told the “Военное.рф” portal.

Armored vehicles Typhoon is produced in Naberezhnye Chelny. Depending on the modification, the armored car can weigh up to 15 tons, and a 350-horsepower engine allows to reach the speed of 105 km/h on the highway. Typhoon carries up to 10 people and can be equipped with various weapons.