Ukrainian BTR-4s lost the tender to Russian vehicles that Indonesia never received
Kyiv • UNN
Indonesia purchased American AAV-7A1s after the Russian BT-3Fs won the tender. The Ukrainian BTR-4s lost the competition.
Ukrainian BTR-4s once lost a tender for the Indonesian Marine Corps to Russian BT-3Fs, although there is no evidence that the Russian vehicles were delivered. Now Jakarta is replenishing its fleet with used American AAV-7A1 amphibious vehicles. Defense Express reports this, UNN writes.
Details
Indonesia has already received the first batch of 12 American AAV M-35 amphibious armored personnel carriers, which are a version of the AAV-7A1. In total, the country expects to receive 35 such vehicles for its Marine Corps.
Indonesian Marines already operate Ukrainian BTR-4s—5 such vehicles are in service. Previously, the country considered their amphibious BTR-4V1/V2 versions as one of the options for replacing its outdated BTR-50s.
Russian BT-3Fs won, but never made it to Indonesia
In the tender, the Ukrainian armored personnel carriers faced Russian BT-3Fs and additional BMP-3Fs. In 2017, the Russian bid won, but according to Defense Express, there is no confirmation that BT-3Fs were actually delivered to Indonesia.
One possible reason cited is that the Russian vehicle itself was not ready—the BT-3F entered state trials in russia only in 2025. A change in the political circumstances may also have affected the situation.
As a result, Indonesia began looking for an alternative and turned to American AAV-7A1s, which the U.S. Marine Corps had already retired from service. These vehicles are not new and have technical-condition problems—in the United States, there have been cases of water entering the amphibious vehicles, including during fatal incidents.
A potentially more modern alternative for Indonesia in the future could be the South Korean KAAV-II amphibious vehicle, which is currently being developed primarily for the needs of South Korea.