The defense department of the Czech company Tatra Defense Vehicle has produced the first armored hull of the promising Pandur 8×8 EVO combat vehicle.

The Czech portal of the NATO Information Center reported this.

The Czech plant in Kopřivnice has completed welding the hull for the first Pandur 8×8 EVO armored vehicle, which is to be unveiled in May this year.

The new generation of the Pandur combat vehicle, developed by Tatra in cooperation with GDELS-Steyr, has received a number of improvements and has benefited from the war experience in Ukraine.

“We use the latest results of real combat operations and add the experience and requirements of our domestic customer, the Czech Army, which is our main customer,” Adam Binar, the company’s chief operating officer, shared.

The new generation of Pandur armored vehicles will have increased mine and ballistic protection, more interior space for the crew, improved seats and controls, a new engine with increased performance, and a higher payload. The experience from Ukraine is reflected in the drone defense.

Another significant change is the relocation of the fuel tank from the combat compartment to a separate compartment, and a new filter-ventilation unit adapted to work in conditions of nuclear and chemical threats.

However, the key is the hull itself, which has changed and meets the standards of mine protection or crew protection in general,” Smolka said. According to him, the vehicle’s weight has increased to 25 tons, but the low body and high mobility remain.

The company also presented updated renderings of images of the future vehicle with a modified design of the UT30MK2 combat module.

Pandur 8×8 EVO

From the very beginning, the Pandur 8×8 EVO project was designed to be compatible with the existing Pandur II 8×8 family of vehicles. This will allow the fleet to be modernized to a new level and unify logistics.

The Pandur 8×8 EVO weighs 25 tons, 4.2 tons heavier than the Czech Army’s basic Pandur II 8×8 CZ. The weight gain is due to increased ballistic protection and a new hull bottom shape that provides better mine resistance. The fuel tanks were also relocated in the hull to improve crew safety.

A more powerful 8.9-liter Cummins ISL turbodiesel engine was installed in the vehicle, along with a German ZF Ecomat 6 HO 902 S automatic transmission to compensate for the weight gain. The range on the highway should be up to 600 km, with a top speed of up to 105 km/h.

The crew of the combat vehicle consists of 10 people: three crew members and seven people in the landing compartment, which has an exit through the aft ramp.

The main advantage of the new vehicle should be a system of modern electronics, as well as the UT30MK2 combat module with a 30-mm Mk.44 Bushmaster II cannon and a launcher for two Spike-LR2 anti-tank missiles.

The turret will carry a lightweight version of the Iron Fist LC active defense system, which is capable of intercepting and physically destroying anti-tank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades aimed at a combat vehicle in the near field.