Ukraine to Start Domestic Production of Lynx IFVs with Rheinmetall by Year End

Ukraine plans to start domestic production of the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) alongside German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall by the end of this year.

Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine Oleksandr Kamyshin confirmed the update in a comment to Ukrinform during the Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine in Berlin on June 11-12.

“At the conference, it was announced together with the German arms concern Rheinmetall that we are starting production of the Lynx BMP [sic] in Ukraine. The first such machine will be produced in Ukraine by the end of the year,” said Kamyshin.

Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty (BMP) is the Soviet designation for IFVs built on a tank chassis. 

On Tuesday, Kamyshin also announced that Rheinmetall and Ukroboronprom, Ukraine’s defense manufacturer, opened the first joint workshop in Ukraine to repair foreign equipment and produce “new samples of armored vehicles.”

“Right now, this will make it possible to repair foreign equipment faster and, accordingly, return it to the front line faster. In the future, new samples of armored vehicles will be produced here,” read Kamyshin’s Tuesday announcement.

In December 2023, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger announced that production for the Fuchs 6x6 armored vehicles and KF41 Lynx IFVs in Ukraine was due to start this year.

The Lynx IFV is a modular armored vehicle that can serve different roles depending on the armament on board. The KF41 variant, unveiled in 2018, boasted of a “spacious interior unsurpassed by any vehicle in its class” that can accommodate “three crew members and up to nine infantry dismounts.”

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“The Lynx KF41 is more than just a new, highly advanced vehicle: it is the ultimate future-proof platform, blending unsurpassed protection with massive firepower and unbeatable mobility in a uniquely modular concept,” read a Rheinmetall brochure.