Armored Vehicles

KamAZ-63968 Typhoon-K

Also known as
  • KamAZ-63968
  • Typhoon-K
  • Taifun-K
  • Kamaz Typhoon

The KamAZ-63968 Typhoon-K is a Russian 6x6 MRAP and armored personnel carrier built by KAMAZ for protected troop movement, convoy security, and specialist support roles. Its modular Typhoon-K layout combines a protected crew cab and rear troop module with hydropneumatic suspension, central tire inflation, NBC protection, camera coverage, and mine/blast protection; Russian examples have been visually documented as destroyed, abandoned, and captured during the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Role in Conflicts

Side
Russia

Russian KamAZ-63968 Typhoon vehicles are documented in Ukraine as battlefield MRAPs, with Ukrainian reporting describing seized and destroyed examples and Oryx listing visually confirmed destroyed, damaged, abandoned, and captured losses during the 2022 invasion.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Russia
Built by
KAMAZ
Type
6x6 mine-resistant armored personnel carrier
Service note
2010s-present Russian service and export use
Designer
KAMAZ
Designed
2010-2014 development period
Unit cost
About $1 million reported by reference sources
Produced
2014-present
Number built
Over 300 Typhoon-K vehicles reported in reference sources

Specifications

Crew and passengers
2 crew plus 16 troops reported by Army Guide; some references describe a three-seat crew cab
Configuration
6x6 MRAP / armored personnel carrier with modular protected troop compartment
Weight
21,000 kg curb weight; 24,000 kg gross weight reported by Army Guide
Engine
YaMZ-5367 turbo-diesel, 450 hp
Maximum speed
Up to 80 km/h in Army Guide data; other reference sheets list up to 105 km/h on road
Range
630 km reported by Army Guide; other reference sheets list longer road range figures
Protection
Combined ceramic/steel armor and armored glass against 14.5 mm armor-piercing fire; mine protection up to 8 kg TNT equivalent reported by Army Guide
Suspension
Independent hydropneumatic suspension with central tire inflation
Protection And Layout

The Typhoon-K layout is built around protected mobility rather than a fixed heavy weapon. The standard vehicle carries troops in a rear module, uses roof-suspended seating to reduce mine-blast injury risk, and can mount a remote weapon station when configured for armed escort.

Protection

Army Guide describes combined ceramic and steel protection, armored glass, and mine resistance up to 8 kg TNT equivalent.

Mobility

The 6x6 chassis uses hydropneumatic suspension, all-wheel drive, run-flat tires, and central tire inflation for road and off-road movement.

Crew Module

The troop module is reached through a rear ramp and roof hatches, with cameras and NBC protection supporting operation under threat.

Variants

The KamAZ-63968 is the 6x6 armored personnel carrier member of the wider Typhoon-K family, alongside related 4x4, chassis-cab, and more heavily armed or enlarged variants.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
KamAZ-539494x4 Typhoon-K family vehicle

Listed with the KamAZ-63968 and KamAZ-63969 as part of the Typhoon-K family represented at RAE-2013.

Sources: Army Guide KamAZ-63968

KamAZ-639696x6 armored fighting vehicle derivative

A related solid-body 6x6 Typhoon-family derivative with a remote weapon station rather than the two-module troop-carrier layout.

Sources: Deagel Typhoon

KamAZ-639888x8 armored truck family member

A larger Typhoon-family armored truck described as broadly similar in concept to the KamAZ-63968 but with a fourth axle and larger troop/cargo module.

Sources: Deagel Typhoon

Timeline

KamAZ-63968 Typhoon-K Key Events

  1. Russian service trials reported

    Army Recognition, citing a Russian defense source, reported that KamAZ-63968 Typhoon vehicles were in operational service before return to the manufacturer for optimization after field use.

  2. Captured and destroyed vehicles reported in Ukraine

    Defense Express reported that Ukrainian Territorial Defense forces evacuated an abandoned Russian KamAZ-63968 Typhoon and described earlier seized and destroyed Typhoon-K examples in Ukraine.

  3. Captured vehicle photographed in Kyiv

    A Wikimedia Commons photograph from Kyiv identified a captured Russian KAMAZ-63968 Typhoon displayed in Ukraine.

Media

KamAZ-63968 Typhoon-K Videos

KamAZ-63968 Typhoon-K Images

Related Weapon Systems
BTR-50, Tracked amphibious armored personnel carrier, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesBTR-50Tracked amphibious armored personnel carrierThe BTR-50 is a Soviet tracked amphibious armored personnel carrier based on the PT-76 light tank chassis. Designed to move infantry and light weapons across rivers and broken terrain, it carried a small crew plus a large troop compartment behind light welded steel armor. Its record spans Arab-Israeli wars, the Iran-Iraq War, Syria, and Russia's Ukraine deployment of stored vehicles, including photographed and loss-documented BTR-50PK carriers fitted with BPU-1 turrets.

Sources