Uzbekistan President visits new domestic armored vehicle plant, unveils 155mm self-propelled howitzer

NURAFSHAN, Uzbekistan — President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the Nurafshon Makhsus Tekhnika plant on July 22, 2026, inspecting a range of newly produced military vehicles that signal Uzbekistan's quiet but determined push to build a domestic defense manufacturing capability from the ground up.

Facility Overview

The KRANTAS-brand facility, located in the city of Nurafshan, produces special-purpose vehicles and military equipment. Built on a 25.8-hectare (63.8-acre) site as part of a $50 million investment project, the plant now employs more than 300 qualified specialists.

The factory operates with machinery and technology sourced from a global supply chain spanning the United States, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Russia, China, and Türkiye, according to officials who briefed the president during his tour.

Production Output

Since operations began, the enterprise has produced:

• Approximately 2,500 tonnes (2,756 tons) of steel structures
• More than 300 vehicle bodies
• Over 200 chassis
• 20 tractors

Last year alone, the company supplied machinery and equipment worth the equivalent of roughly $21 million to customers.

Military Hardware Unveiled

The visit's significance extended beyond production statistics, as the company unveiled several new armored platforms:

• 6×6 and 8×8 armored personnel carriers — wheeled troop transport vehicles designed for armored protection and enhanced mobility over rough terrain
• To'fon 155mm self-propelled howitzer — a large-caliber artillery piece mounted on a mobile chassis for rapid fire-and-relocate operations
• Modernized T-64 tank — an upgraded version of the Soviet-era main battle tank that first entered service in the 1960s

According to the company, the armored personnel carriers have completed state trials — the formal government certification process — and are being prepared for serial production on the factory conveyor line.

T-64 Upgrade: Extending Soviet-Era Hardware

The T-64 modernization reflects a common military strategy of upgrading aging platforms rather than replacing them entirely. The tank's original 5TDF engine — a five-cylinder diesel powerplant from the Soviet design — has been replaced with a South Korean-made DP222LC engine produced by Doosan Infracore, rated at 950 horsepower.

This power upgrade significantly improves the tank's mobility and reliability at a fraction of the cost of building an entirely new platform.

Company Origins and Homegrown Engineering

Nurafshon Makhsus Tekhnika was built by two co-founders. In an interview with the Uzbekistan 24 television channel, co-founder Akmal Karimov described the company's entry into military manufacturing.

"Five years ago, our enterprise developed and produced an armored vehicle for the first time. The first model was the armored vehicle Tarlon," Karimov said.

The Tarlon was built for Uzbekistan's Armed Forces, National Guard, and Ministry of Internal Affairs, giving the company customers across the country's military and security services from the outset. Karimov noted that the vehicle carries fifth-class ballistic protection — a rating denoting a relatively high level of armor against small arms and light weapons fire — and is assembled using European-manufactured components.

Karimov emphasized the vehicle's domestic engineering pedigree, distinguishing it from licensed-production arrangements common among smaller defense manufacturers.

"The design and blueprints for the vehicle were developed by specialists at our enterprise's design bureau. This means the vehicle is not produced under license from a foreign brand, nor based on a project purchased abroad. The project was developed and created from scratch by Uzbek engineers," Karimov said.