Ukrainian Armor Tavria

History

The Ukrainian Armor Tavria is a family of remotely controlled weapon stations developed in Ukraine for installation on armored vehicles and unmanned ground platforms. The system combines stabilized machine-gun armament with digital fire control, optoelectronic observation, target acquisition, and remote operation from a protected position.

The earliest documented Tavria configuration in the supplied sources is the TAVRIA-14.5, which Ukrainian Armor tested on a ten-seat Novator armored vehicle in March 2024. Later versions and installations used 12.7 mm armament and were demonstrated on the Protector unmanned ground vehicle and the Varta-3 armored vehicle.

The Tavria weapon station was approved for use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in November 2024. Subsequent demonstrations showed the system being adapted for both crewed armored vehicles and remotely operated ground platforms.

Development and testing

On 12 March 2024, Ukrainian Armor announced successful testing of a ten-seat Novator armored personnel carrier fitted with the domestically produced TAVRIA-14.5 remotely controlled combat module. This version used a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun with 200 rounds. Its weapon control system provided stabilization, target capture and tracking, and aimed fire against moving targets. The optoelectronic module was stated to detect targets at distances exceeding 5 km during both day and night. Ukrainian Armor stated that the module and its optoelectronic and control-system components had STANAG Level 1 armor protection.

On 3 November 2024, reporting based on a Ukrainian Ministry of Defense statement said that the Tavria remotely controlled weapon station had been codified and authorized for use in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Defense Express described the approved system as carrying two machine guns, including one large-caliber weapon, and being suitable for armored combat vehicles and ground robotic platforms. The system could capture and track targets and fire at moving objects by day or night. Its operator controls and monitor could be installed inside the protected hull of an armored vehicle.

In November 2025, Ukrainian Armor tested a Protector heavy unmanned ground vehicle with the Tavria-12.7 module. Militarnyi reported firing trials at different distances and in different modes. The Tavria-12.7 was described as a remotely controlled turret armed with a 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine gun and a digital weapon control system for observing, detecting, and engaging ground and air targets. A separate report on the Protector tests stated that firing was conducted both while stationary and while moving.

On 8 September 2026, Ukrainian Armor displayed a Varta-3 armored vehicle equipped with a Tavria combat module at the MSPO exhibition in Poland. Militarnyi reported that this installation combined a 12.7 mm Browning M2 with a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun, digital fire control, gyroscopic stabilization, and a Hawkeye-M2T optoelectronic system.

Design

Tavria is an unmanned, remotely operated weapon station intended to keep its operator inside a protected vehicle compartment or at a separate remote control position. The supplied sources describe installations on armored vehicles and on the Protector unmanned ground vehicle.

Weapon control

The system uses digital weapon control and stabilization. Documented Tavria configurations can capture and track targets and provide aimed fire against moving targets. The 2026 Varta-3 installation was also stated to support automatic target acquisition and tracking. Its ballistic computer could calculate the trajectory of a moving target and the required lead point.

The Varta-3 installation could receive external target designation from radars and command posts. This allowed the weapon station to use targeting information supplied by systems outside the vehicle.

Observation and targeting

The Tavria-14.5 tested in 2024 used an optoelectronic module stated to detect targets at more than 5 km by day and night. The Tavria installation displayed on Varta-3 in 2026 used the Hawkeye-M2T optoelectronic system for target detection and tracking.

For the Hawkeye-M2T-equipped configuration, the manufacturer stated that a person could be detected at up to 3.2 km and recognized at up to 1 km. A target measuring 2.3 × 2.3 m could reportedly be detected at up to 9.5 km and recognized at up to 3.2 km.

Armament

The Tavria family has been demonstrated with different machine-gun installations. The TAVRIA-14.5 tested in 2024 carried a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun with 200 rounds. The Tavria-12.7 tested on Protector in 2025 used a 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine gun. The Tavria configuration displayed on Varta-3 in 2026 combined a 12.7 mm Browning M2 as its primary weapon with a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun.

The manufacturer describes Tavria as capable of engaging ground and air targets. Reported target categories include armored vehicles, other vehicles, personnel, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles. These statements describe the intended capabilities of the system and do not by themselves establish operational effectiveness against every target type.

Program status

The Tavria remotely controlled weapon station was codified and authorized for use by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense in November 2024. The supplied sources subsequently document continued integration and testing of Tavria variants on different platforms, including Protector in 2025 and Varta-3 in 2026.

The demonstrations indicate a modular development path rather than a single fixed armament configuration. The available evidence documents 14.5 mm and 12.7 mm versions as well as the dual-machine-gun arrangement displayed on Varta-3.

Variants

• TAVRIA-14.5: Remotely controlled turret tested on the Novator armored vehicle in March 2024. It uses a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun with 200 rounds, stabilized weapon control, target tracking, and an optoelectronic module with a stated detection range exceeding 5 km.
• Tavria-12.7: Remotely controlled version tested on the Protector unmanned ground vehicle in November 2025. It is armed with a 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine gun and uses a digital weapon control system.
• Varta-3 installation: Tavria configuration displayed at MSPO in September 2026 with a 12.7 mm Browning M2, a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun, digital fire control, gyroscopic stabilization, and a Hawkeye-M2T optoelectronic system.

Specifications (Tavria configuration on Varta-3)

General characteristics

• Control: Remote operation from the protected vehicle compartment or a remote station
• Traverse: 360 degrees
• Elevation: Up to +60 degrees
• Depression: Down to -10 degrees
• Fire control: Digital fire-control system with gyroscopic stabilization
• Targeting system: Hawkeye-M2T optoelectronic system

Engagement and observation

• Effective firing range: Up to 1,800 m
• Human detection range: Up to 3.2 km
• Human recognition range: Up to 1 km
• 2.3 × 2.3 m target detection range: Up to 9.5 km
• 2.3 × 2.3 m target recognition range: Up to 3.2 km
• Target tracking: Automatic acquisition and tracking stated
• External targeting: Target designation from radars and command posts stated

Armament

• Primary weapon: 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine gun
• Secondary weapon: 7.62 mm PKT machine gun