Russia has Developed Legioner Armored Pickup Truck

Russia has unveiled the Legioner, a multi-purpose armored pickup truck from Russkiye Boyevyye Mashiny (RBM).

This was reported by Defence Blog.

According to the publication, the 4×4 platform is designed to fill the gap between unarmored military vehicles and heavier armored personnel carriers such as the BTR-82A.

Externally, the Legioner resembles the Soviet BTR-40 and BTR-152 armored personnel carriers, but it has a modern component base and updated characteristics that meet current operational needs. The developers describe it as a multi-purpose platform capable of performing a wide range of logistical and support tasks on the battlefield.

The vehicle is built on a 4×4 chassis with an armored cabin and an open cargo platform. The rear compartment can be used to transport supplies, personnel, or a turret with a machine gun.

The vehicle has a BR 5 protection level — the armor can withstand fragments and shots from a SVD rifle with a 7.62×54 mm bullet with a steel reinforced core from a distance of 10 meters.

The vehicle weighs 6.5 tons and has a load capacity of 2.5 tons. Its maximum speed is 100 kilometers per hour, and it has a range of 750 kilometers.

The pickup truck is equipped with a 200 horsepower YMZ-234 engine. This diesel engine is known for its reliability and unpretentiousness in operation, which is especially important for vehicles operating in difficult conditions.

Small armored logistics vehicles are becoming increasingly relevant as drones develop. Mass FPVs are constantly increasing their range of attack and are beginning to attack logistics vehicles en masse in order to exhaust units on the front lines. In such conditions, the availability of light armored transport significantly increases the survivability of drivers and allows them to perform more tasks.

Similar developments are also underway in Ukraine, notably the UAT-TISA armored pickup truck from UkrArmoTech and the Djura from Practika. Both of these armored vehicles have already begun to enter service with the Ukrainian army.

The UAT-TISA is based on the reinforced TOYOTA LC79 chassis. The armored vehicle is designed to transport four people, including two crew members, as well as cargo weighing up to one ton. The vehicle has a protection level of 1 in accordance with the STANAG 4569 standard and began to be supplied to the Ukrainian army in May 2025.

The Jura is based on the Land Cruiser 70 off-road vehicle chassis. The designers modified the original chassis by installing a specially designed armored capsule that provides protection at the PZSA-4 level, which is similar to the STANAG 4569 lvl 1 standard. The armored vehicle has been supplied to the Ukrainian army since October 2024.