Manufacturer catalog

DAF

DAF is a Dutch truck manufacturer headquartered in Eindhoven and wholly owned by PACCAR, with a historic military-vehicle production role represented here by the YP-408 and YPR-765 armored-vehicle families.

2 weapons

DAF traces its roots to an Eindhoven workshop founded on 1 April 1928 by Hub van Doorne. The company later became known for commercial trucks, DAF-branded engines, transport efficiency, and European heavy-vehicle production, while its current legal presence remains centered at Eindhoven.

DAF's defense relevance comes from older special-vehicles and armored-vehicle work rather than from its current truck lineup alone. The company developed and produced the YP-408 wheeled armored personnel carrier for the Royal Netherlands Army, and later DAF production work in the Netherlands supported the YPR-765 tracked armored-vehicle family.

commercial trucksspecial vehiclesmilitary vehicle production

Notable Systems

YP-408, Wheeled armored personnel carrier, Armored Vehicles

YP-408

Wheeled armored personnel carrier

DAF developed and produced the Dutch 8x6 YP-408 armored personnel carrier, with 750 vehicles built for the Royal Netherlands Army in the 1960s and several role variants derived from the baseline infantry carrier.

Sources: Materieel van toen: DAF YP 408, YP-408 Wheeled armoured personnel carrier, YP-408
YPR-765, Tracked infantry fighting vehicle and armored personnel carrier family, Armored Vehicles

YPR-765

Tracked infantry fighting vehicle and armored personnel carrier family

DAF is tied to the Dutch YPR-765 armored-vehicle family through production and assembly work in the Netherlands, a later tracked successor to the earlier YP-408 fleet.

Sources: YPR 765 (Infantry fighting vehicle) - Army Guide, Corporate Overview, Materieel van toen: YPR-765

Manufacturer History

  1. Founded in Eindhoven

    Hub van Doorne opens a small construction workshop in Eindhoven, establishing the company that becomes DAF.

    Sources: History - DAF Trucks N.V.

  2. Truck production begins

    DAF begins truck production and adopts the Van Doorne's Automobiel Fabriek name as it moves into vehicle manufacturing.

    Sources: History - DAF Trucks N.V.

  3. YP-408 enters Dutch service

    The DAF-built YP-408 armored personnel carrier enters Royal Netherlands Army service, giving DAF a directly produced armored vehicle in Dutch Cold War mechanized units.

    Sources: YP-408, YP-408 Wheeled armoured personnel carrier

  4. YPR-765 production work follows the YP-408

    Dutch Defence later described the YPR-765 follow-on fleet as domestically manufactured by DAF in cooperation with two companies, linking DAF's special-vehicles work to both wheeled and tracked Dutch armored vehicles.

    Sources: Materieel van toen: YPR-765

Website links
About DAFHistoryContactDAF Museum

DAF's current corporate identity is a PACCAR-owned truck manufacturer. Its defense-manufacturing relevance comes from older DAF and DAF Special Products armored-vehicle work, especially YP-408 development and production plus Dutch YPR-765 production and assembly context.

Manufacturer Sources

  • About DAFPublisher: DAF Trucks N.V. | Note: Supports DAF's current company description, PACCAR ownership, and commercial-vehicle focus. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • History - DAF Trucks N.V.Publisher: DAF Trucks N.V. | Note: Supports DAF's 1928 founding in Eindhoven and its transition into truck manufacturing. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Contact - DAF Trucks N.V.Publisher: DAF Trucks N.V. | Note: Supports the current legal name and headquarters address in Eindhoven, Netherlands. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Corporate OverviewPublisher: Forecast International | Note: Supports the legacy DAF Special Products name and its armored personnel carrier and truck-superstructure production role. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • YPR 765 (Infantry fighting vehicle) - Army GuidePublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports the YPR-765 production context and DAF Special Products involvement in the vehicle's production and final assembly. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Materieel van toen: DAF YP 408Publisher: Ministerie van Defensie | Note: Supports DAF development of the YP-408, Dutch Army service context, variants, and the 1987 Dutch retirement point. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • YP-408 Wheeled armoured personnel carrierPublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports DAF as YP-408 manufacturer, 1964-1968 production timing, Royal Netherlands Army quantity, and vehicle specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • YP-408Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports DAF developer and producer attribution for the YP-408, production period, service-entry date, variants, and specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Materieel van toen: YPR-765Publisher: Ministerie van Defensie | Note: Supports Dutch YPR-765 follow-on context and DAF's domestic manufacturing role in cooperation with other companies. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • DAF-Museum Eindhoven.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY-SA licensing for a DAF Museum photo tied to the manufacturer's heritage site in Eindhoven. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Armored Vehicles

Troop carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and protected mobility.

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YPR-765, Tracked infantry fighting vehicle and armored personnel carrier family, Armored Vehicles2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 2011 Sinai InsurgencyYPR-765Tracked infantry fighting vehicle and armored personnel carrier familyBuilt in: United States / Netherlands / BelgiumThe YPR-765 and Belgian AIFV-B are closely related branches of FMC's AIFV family, a tracked infantry fighting vehicle and armored carrier derived from the M113 lineage. Dutch and Belgian vehicles combine aluminum armor with spaced steel applique, road and amphibious mobility, and variant-specific weapons ranging from a 25 mm cannon to machine guns, TOW missiles, MILAN launchers, medical-evacuation fittings, or remote weapon stations. SIPRI transfer data and Dutch official aid lists identify 353 AIFV-APC/YPR tracked armored vehicles delivered or pledged to Ukraine, and Ukrainian border-guard reporting cited by Army Recognition shows Belgian-made AIFV-B-C25 vehicles joining the same wartime AIFV/YPR family in Ukrainian service.