Profile
- Type
- 4x4 armored protected vehicle
- Origin
- Yemen, with South African-supported production and components
- Service note
- Produced from 2009 and present in Yemeni pre-war stocks before the 2014-2015 escalation
Armored Vehicles
Qutaish-2 armored vehicle
The Qutaish-2 is a Yemeni armored protected vehicle assembled for Yemeni army and security forces with South African-supported production. It appears in open-source Yemen Civil War inventories as a pre-war Yemeni Army infantry mobility vehicle available to Yemeni battlefield parties, giving the conflict a locally assembled protected-mobility system alongside imported armored vehicles.
- Built in
- Yemen
Service History
- In service
- Yemeni service from the 2009-2014 delivery and assembly period
- Used by
- Yemeni Army, Yemeni security forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Yemeni Armed Forces Military Industrialization Authority
- Designed
- 2009-2010
- Built in
- Yemen
- Unit cost
- Not publicly reported
- Produced
- 2009-2014 delivery and assembly period reported by DefenceWeb/SIPRI
- Number built
- 250 vehicles associated with the reported Yemen Qutaish-2 contract
- Variants
- Qutaish-2 (Leopard)
Specifications
- Crew and passengers
- Eight personnel with equipment plus a gunner, according to local reporting
- Armament
- DShK 12.7 mm heavy machine gun
- Engine
- Six-cylinder Toyota Land Cruiser diesel engine, about 210 hp
- Mobility
- Toyota Land Cruiser drivetrain with reinforced suspension and braking systems reported
- Protection
- Reported two-layer armored steel protection against 7.62 mm fire and 12.7 mm fire at limited range
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesYemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Protected mobility and machine-gun fire support
Oryx lists Qutaish-2 among pre-war Yemeni Army infantry mobility vehicles and frames the inventory as equipment available to Yemeni parties on the Yemen battlefield after the Houthi takeover; the source does not assign all vehicles to one exclusive side.
Related Weapon Systems
Al-Jawad armored vehicle4x4 armored personnel carrier / internal security vehicleThe Al-Jawad is a Jordanian 4x4 armored personnel carrier and internal-security vehicle developed by KADDB/JLVM with Jankel input around commercial heavy-duty chassis. In the Yemen Civil War context, open-source evidence identifies it in the Yemeni Army's pre-war infantry mobility inventory rather than as a newly supplied coalition vehicle.
Al-Shibl 2 armored vehicle4x4 light armored personnel carrierThe Al-Shibl 2 is a Saudi-built 4x4 light armored personnel carrier based on an upgraded commercial chassis. Its longer wheelbase gives it troop-carrying capacity beyond the Al-Shibl 1, while steel armor, run-flat tires, and roof weapon-mount options make it a protected mobility vehicle for patrol, border security, and convoy support roles.
Badger ILAV4x4 mine-resistant armored personnel carrierThe Badger ILAV is a 4x4 International Light Armored Vehicle derived from the Cougar MRAP family, built to move troops with better mine and improvised-explosive-device protection than light trucks. Yemen received a small number before the civil war, and open-source imagery places the type among armored vehicles visible in Houthi-controlled Yemen.
BTR-152M armored personnel carrier6x6 wheeled armored personnel carrierThe BTR-152M armored personnel carrier is a Yemeni-service member of the Soviet BTR-152 6x6 APC family, retained from older Yemeni Army stocks and documented during the Yemen Civil War. In Yemen it appears less as a modern troop carrier than as a legacy protected-mobility platform and a base for improvised heavy weapon installations, including reported AK-630 or GSh-6-30K naval-gun conversions.
BTR-40M armored personnel carrierWheeled armored personnel carrierThe BTR-40M is a Yemeni-listed variant of the Soviet BTR-40, a small 4x4 armored personnel carrier originally built by GAZ for reconnaissance, command, and troop transport. In the Yemen Civil War record it appears as legacy Yemeni Army armor: useful for light protected mobility, but far less protected than modern APCs and documented with limited public detail on exact operators.
Jalal 3 armored vehicleLight 4x4 armored personnel carrierThe Jalal 3 is a Yemeni-built light 4x4 armored personnel carrier developed from a commercial-vehicle base for troop movement, urban security, and protected mobility. Open sources describe machine-gun turret options and small-arms protection, while Yemen Civil War evidence is limited to local reporting and wartime imagery rather than comprehensive official fleet records.Sources
Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting VehiclesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct battlefield use: fielded by Yemeni parties from pre-war Yemeni Army stocks, with Qutaish-2 listed among equipment available on the battlefield. Also supports the image selection. | Accessed: 2026-06-20More details on South African arms exports for 2014Publisher: DefenceWeb | Note: Supports background on the reported 250-vehicle Qutaish-2 contract, South African component production, Yemeni assembly, and the 2009-2014 delivery period. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Yemen enters the age of military industriesPublisher: Al Bayan | Note: Supports manufacturer and background context for Yemeni armored-vehicle production, South African expertise, and the transition from Qutaish-1 to Qutaish-2. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Yemen announces production of 300 armored vehiclesPublisher: Mareb Press | Note: Supports reported Qutaish-2 capacity, engine, drivetrain, and protection details from Yemeni military-site reporting. | Accessed: 2026-06-20