The ARMA 8x8 armoured vehicles spotted in Kazakhstan’s military parade on the 9th of May have been locally titled TAIMAS, fitted with a turret from China.
Turan Tactical reported that TAIMAS is a derivative of ARMA 8x8 vehicle locally produced in Kazakhstan, fitted with a Chinese turret featuring a 100 mm rifled gun, coaxial 30 mm autocannon, and two ATGMs.
The name TAIMAS can be clearly seen in a photo taken by and shared on the Instagram account of the Editor-in-Chief of the Aiqyn Newspaper, Amangeldi Qurmetuly.
Prior to TAIMAS’s unveiling during the parade, ARMA 8x8 was tested with a BMP-3 turret and ASELSAN’s NEFER turret with 30x165 mm 2A72 autocannon.
While the majority of Kazakhstan’s army weaponry uses Russian-standard ammunition, Chinese turret is a cause of surprise.
China is a producer of weapon systems in both Russian and Western standards, with a greater inclination towards Russian standard due to its past of operating Russian-made systems.
It can be concluded that Kazakhstan leaned toward firepower more, which led to trials with the BMP-3 turret, then to acquiring a turret of similar loadout from China for political and logistical reasons, alongside the requirements.
Chinese Turret on TAIMAS 8x8 IFV
The Chinese turret, based on observations of Chinese IFVS, is likely the same one used by the VN20 heavy IFV, which is based on the VT4 MBT. While the loadout is similar to the Russian BMP-3 IFV’s turret, VN20’s turret has additional armour for increased protection.
Additional armament of the VN20 turret that BMP-3 lacks includes two HJ-12 medium-range ATGMs (Mounted and concealed on sides) and one 7.62 mm RCWS.
Derivatives of ARMA Around the World
ARMA armoured vehicles’ several derivatives have been developed for export customers, with TAIMAS 8x8 joining this roster.
The first is the RABDAN family tailored for the UAE’s requirements. RABDAN’s main differences include amphibious capability and the BMP-3 IFV turret, as the UAE is an operator of the tracked IFV. Later on, the 6x6 configuration was developed, using a western-style turret with 30 mm chain gun.
Estonia might be the operator of another derivative, as the ARMA 6x6 APCs it purchased after selecting ARMA 6x6 in its tender for new APCs. The APCs in Estonian Army service display some external differences compared to the baseline ARMA 6x6.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
