The latest MGT-LB tracked tractor was shown at the Russian defense industry exhibition ARMY 2024.

This was reported by military historian Dr. Andrii Haruk.

Obviously, the MGT-LB is intended to replace the Soviet MT-LB tractor. The project, whose images appeared in 2017, was created by the Special Machine Building Projects company.

The MGT-LB, at least conceptually, was supposed to be an extremely innovative combat vehicle. The truck was to be equipped with a hybrid power plant, electric transmission, intelligent onboard equipment, and remote control capabilities.

Since 2019, references to the promising tractor have faded from the public discourse. However, following the outbreak of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war and the significant losses of MT-LB vehicles, the project has resurfaced in discussions.

The model presented at the exhibition is much simpler, equipped with a 450-horsepower turbo diesel engine, which should provide the 16.5-ton vehicle with a speed of up to 70 kilometers per hour on roads and up to 10 kilometers per hour on water.

The MGT-LB has a range of 800 kilometers and a payload of up to 2.5 tons, and it can also pull a trailer weighing up to 7 tons.

The crew consists of 2 people, and the landing compartment can accommodate 8 infantrymen.

The layout evidently corresponds to the MT-LB; the engine is located in the middle of the hull, separating the control room and the landing compartment.

The prototype is armed with a remotely controlled module with a 12.7 mm Cord machine gun.

According to the developers, the MGT-LB’s armor protection meets STANAG 4569 Level 3, which means it is resistant to armor-piercing 7.62mm bullets at a distance of 30 meters and 155mm shell fragments at a distance of 60 meters.

Mine resistance corresponds to level 1 of the same standard, meaning the combat vehicle can withstand the explosion of a hand grenade and an anti-personnel mine.

In June, the Finnish armored vehicle manufacturer Patria presented a new armored tracked all-terrain platform “FAMOUS”.

The new vehicle may become a successor to the Soviet armored MT-LBs, which are widely used in the Finnish army, with about 400 hundred of them, according to open data.