The Armoured Troops () are the

armored corps An armoured corps (also mechanized corps or tank corps) is a specialized military organization whose role is to conduct armoured warfare. The units belonging to an armoured corps include military staff, and are equipped with tanks and other armou ...

of the

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

, the main striking force of ground troops. They are used primarily in conjunction with mechanized forces in key areas and perform the following tasks: * in defense - support of mechanized troops in repelling the enemy attack and developing counterattacks; * in the attack - the application of powerful strokes to dissect enemy lines in greater depth, development of success, and defeat the enemy in counter-battles and battles.

Duties and tasks

The basis of the Armoured Forces are the armored brigades and armored battalions of the infantry brigades (mechanized, assault mechanized, light infantry, rifle infantry and mountain), which have great resistance to the striking factors of both conventional and nuclear weapons, firepower, high mobility and maneuverability. They are able to make the most complete use of the results of fire (nuclear) damage to the enemy and in a short time to achieve the final goals of combat operations in wartime. The combat capabilities of the armored brigades in wartime operations allow them to conduct active combat operations either in day and/or night scenarios, at a considerable distance from other friendly forces, to crush the enemy in counter-attacks and battles, to overcome large areas of radioactive contamination on the move, crossing water obstacles, and also to quickly create a strong defense and successfully resist the onslaught of overwhelming enemy forces.

History

Of those 3 former armoured divisions that entered the ranks of the then young Ukrainian Ground Forces in 1991-92 from the

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

, only one, the 17th, retained its armoured role into most of the 21st century when it was reflagged as a brigade. The brigade carried with it battle honours won in the Second World War, which would be removed in the 2010s after

Euromaidan Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...

. In the 2020s, it was transformed to mechanized infantry. In 1997, on the basis of an armored regiment of what is now the 72nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade, the 1st Tank Brigade was raised. These two brigades were the armored fist the nation had for so many years till 2014 and the War in Donbas, in which the armored force was increased in strength and numbers with the raising of new brigades. The 1st Brigade is today the senior brigade of the Ukrainian Armored Forces.

Organization of the Ukrainian armoured division until the 2000s

* Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion * 3x Armoured Brigades/Regiments *

Mechanized Infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with Armoured personnel carrier, armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps). As defined by the United States Army, me ...

Brigade/Regiment *

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

Regiment * Anti-Air Defense Artillery Battalion * Mortar Battery * Combat Engineer Regiment/Battalion *

Signals A signal is both the process and the result of Signal transmission, transmission of data over some transmission media, media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processin ...

Battalion * Armored Reconnaissance Battalion *

Logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

Regiment *

Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN defense) or Nuclear, biological, and chemical protection (NBC protection) is a class of protective measures taken in situations where chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclea ...

Company *

Radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

Company * Military Police company * Division Band

Brigade organization

Armored Brigades in Ukrainian service under the UGF are designed to provide heavy support to mechanized infantry brigades during offensive and defensive operations or on their own accord depending on the circumstances. Unlike the mechanized, mountain, assault, motorized and rifle infantry brigades, armored brigades do not have a motorized infantry battalion attached. The armored brigades are organized identically into three armored battalions and one mechanized infantry battalion. Due to brigades being designed for independent operations they have a complete set of organic supporting units including a complete artillery regiment, an

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...

battalion, an

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...

battalion, a

sniper A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...

company, a

recon In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconna ...

company, an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

battalion, material repair battalion,

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

battalion, electronic warfare company, radar company,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

defense company,

signals A signal is both the process and the result of Signal transmission, transmission of data over some transmission media, media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processin ...

company,

medical Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

company, a commandant's platoon and a brigade military band under HQ. Since the start of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine the size and composition of Ukraine's armored brigades have changed dramatically to include both more men as the Ukrainian Armed Forces mobilize but also to include the different kinds of weapons and equipment being supplied by Ukraine's Western backers. Headquarters and HQ Company Tank Battalion (x3) * Headquarters and Headquarters Company * Tank Company (x3/x4) * (Armored) Recon Platoon * Anti Aircraft Platoon * Engineer Platoon * Medical Section * Combat Service Support Company ** Technical Support Platoon ** Material Support Platoon Before the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine the UGF's then two armored brigades were equipped with either T-64BV tanks, T-64BV mod 2017, or T-80BV tanks. After the invasion Ukraine was able to capture and repurpose large numbers of Russian tanks such as

T-72B3M The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1973. It replaced the T-54/55 series as the workhorse of Soviet tank forces (while the T-64 and T-80 served as the Soviet high-technology tanks). In front-line Russian serv ...

mod 2017, T-72B3, T-72B, T-80BVM, T-80, and

T-90M The T-90 is a third-generation Russian main battle tank developed from, and designed to replace the T-72. It uses a 125mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun, the 1A45T fire-control system, an upgraded engine, and gunner's thermal sight. Standard pro ...

. Western nations have also pledged large numbers of tanks from their own stocks such as their own vintage T-72 models,

PT-91 The PT-91 Twardy (, English: Hard) is a Polish main battle tank. A development of the T-72#Models, T-72M1, it entered service in 1995. The PT-91 was designed at the :pl:Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy Urządzeń Mechanicznych „OBRUM”, OBRUM ...

Twardy tanks from Poland,

M-84 The M-84 is a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav main battle tank based on the Soviet T-72. It is still in service with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Kuwait. Development and production Development The ...

MBTs from Croatia and more recently

Challenger 2 The FV4034 Challenger 2 (MoD designation "CR2") is a third generation British main battle tank (MBT) in service with the armies of the United Kingdom, Oman, and Ukraine. It was designed by Vickers Defence Systems (now Rheinmetall BAE Systems ...

tanks from Britain,

Leopard 2 The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank (MBT). Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West German army. Various iterat ...

and

Leopard 1 The Kampfpanzer Leopard, subsequently Leopard 1 following the introduction of the successive Leopard 2, is a main battle tank designed by Porsche and manufactured by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Krauss-Maffei in West Germany, first entering service ...

tanks from multiple European countries, and the

M1A1 Abrams The M1 Abrams () is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare, it is one of the heavies ...

from Australia and the United States. These new additions have bolstered the armored fighting force. Mechanized Infantry Battalion * Headquarters and Headquarters Company * Infantry Company (x3) * Mortar Battery (6x 120mm) * Grenade Platoon (6x

AGS-17 The AGS-17 Plamya ( Russian: Пламя; ''Flame'') is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher in service worldwide. Description The AGS-17 is a heavy infantry support weapon designed to operate from a tripod or mounted on an installation ...

) * Recon Platoon * Air Defense Platoon (9x Igla MANPAD) * Combat Engineer Platoon * Signals Platoon * Battalion Medical Center * Supply Company ** Technical Support Platoon ** Material Support Platoon Tank brigade mechanized infantry battalions have traditionally been organized around the

BMP-1 The BMP-1 is a Soviet Union, Soviet Amphibious vehicle, amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle that has been in service from 1966 to the present. BMP stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Pyekhoty 1'' (), meaning "infantry fighting vehicle, 1st ...

IFV systems and its variants, as well as the BMP-2. The same modernization and Westernization efforts following the 2022 Russian invasion have also affected these battalions. Brigade Field Artillery Regiment * HQ and Target Acquisition Battery * Recon Battery * Observer Battery * SPG Battalion (2x

2S1 Gvozdika The 2S1 ''Gvozdika'' (, "Dianthus caryophyllus, Carnation") is a Soviet Self-propelled artillery, self-propelled howitzer introduced in 1972 and is in service in Russia and other countries . It is based on the MT-LBu multi-purpose chassis, mount ...

) * Rocket Artillery Battalion (

BM-21 Grad The BM-21 "Grad" () is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first combat use in March 1969 during the Sino-S ...

) * Security Company/Battalion Anti-Tank Battalion (under field artillery regiment, otherwise independent under direct brigade command) * Headquarters and Headquarters Battery * 3x/4x Anti-Tank Batteries (towed/self-propelled/MPATS) Anti-Aircraft and Missile Defense Artillery Battalion/Regiment * Headquarters and Headquarters Battery * If for a battalion: ** 3x Air Defense Batteries (Towed/SPAAG) ** Air Defense Missile Artillery Battery **

Man-portable air-defense system Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are portable Shoulder-launched missile, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. They are guided missile, guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters and ...

Battery * If for a regiment: **

Air defense Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

artillery battalion (towed/SPAAG) ** Air defense missile artillery battalion **

Infantry Battery/Battalion Sniper Company Recon Company Combat Engineer Battalion * HHC * 3x/4x Combat Engineer Battalions Maintenance Battalion Logistics Battalion Electronic Warfare Company Radar Company CBRN Defense Company Signals Company Medical Company Commandant's Platoon Brigade Band

Units

* 1st Tank Brigade, Honcharivske,Brigade in Honcharivske receives new tanks

Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast (), also referred to as Chernihivshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in northern Ukraine. The capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv. There are 1,511 sett ...

, formed in 1997. * 3rd Tank Brigade, Yarmolyntsi,

Khmelnytskyi Oblast Khmelnytskyi Oblast (), also known as Khmelnychchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in western Ukraine covering portions of the historical regions of western Podolia and southern Volhynia. The Capital (political) ...

, formed in 2016. * 4th Tank Brigade Patch

4th Tank Brigade, Honcharivske,

, formed in 2017. * 12th Tank Battalion, Honcharivske,

, formed in 2019. * 29th Tank Battalion, formed in 2025.

Disbanded Formations

*5th Tank Brigade reformed as 5th Heavy Mechanized Brigade in 2024. * 14th Tank Brigade disbanded in 2019. *17th Guards Tank DivisionLenskiy reformed first as 17th Tank Brigade and then as 17th Heavy Mechanized Brigade in 2024.Training in the 17th Armored Brigade
/ref> *23rd Training Tank Division, disbanded and the 6065th Storage Base since 1987.Feskov, p.106 *30th Guards Tank Division reformed first as 30th Tank Brigade and then reformed as 30th Mechanised Brigade in 2004. *41st Guards Tank Division, disbanded and the 5193rd Storage Base since 1989. *

42nd Guards Tank Division The 42nd Guards Priluki Order of Lenin Red Banner Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Tank Division (Military Unit Number 29410) was an armoured division of the Soviet Ground Forces, active from 1957 to 1990. The division was formed with the Western Fr ...

, disbanded and the 5359th Storage Base since 1990. *48th Guards Tank Training Division, reformed as 169th District Training Centre. *117th Guards Tank Division, reformed as 119th District Training Centre.

Equipment

* M55S,

T-62 The T-62 is a Soviet main battle tank that was first introduced in 1961. As a further development of the T-55 series, the T-62 retained many similar design elements of its predecessor including low profile and thick turret armour. In contra ...

T-64 The T-64 is a Soviet tank manufactured in Kharkiv, and designed by Alexander Morozov. The tank was introduced in the early 1960s. It was a more advanced counterpart to the T-62: the T-64 served in tank divisions, while the T-62 supported i ...

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet Union, Soviet main battle tanks that entered production in 1973. The T-72 was a development based on the T-64 using thought and design of the previous Object 167M. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refu ...

PT-91 Twardy The PT-91 Twardy (, English: Hard) is a Polish main battle tank. A development of the T-72M1, it entered service in 1995. The PT-91 was designed at the OBRUM (''Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy Urządzeń Mechanicznych'', or ''Research and Deve ...

T-80 The T-80 is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union and manufactured in Russia. The T-80 is based on the T-64, while incorporating features from the later T-72 and changing the engine to a gas turbi ...

T-84 The T-84 is a Ukraine, Ukrainian main battle tank (MBT), based on the Soviet Union, Soviet T-80 MBT introduced in 1976, specifically the diesel engine version: T-80UD. The T-84 was first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian Arme ...

M1 Abrams The M1 Abrams () is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare, it is one of the heavies ...

T-90 The T-90 is a third-generation Russian main battle tank developed from, and designed to replace the T-72. It uses a 125mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun, the 1A45T fire-control system, an upgraded engine, and gunner's thermal sight. Standard p ...

main battle tanks in armored battalions *

AMX-10 RC The AMX-10 RC is a French armoured fighting vehicle manufactured by Nexter Systems for armoured reconnaissance purposes. Equipping French cavalry units since 1979,https://imagesdefense.gouv.fr/fr/remise-du-premier-vehicule-amx-10-rc-au-2e-rh-r ...

wheeled light tanks/armored reconnaissance vehicles in armored battalions *

FV101 Scorpion The FV101 Scorpion is a British armoured reconnaissance vehicle and light tank. It was the lead vehicle and the fire support type in the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked), CVR(T), family of seven armoured vehicles. Manufactured by Alvis, ...

tracked light tanks/armored reconnaissance vehicles in armored battalions and reconnaissance battalions *

BMP-2 The BMP-2 (''Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty'', , literally "combat machine/vehicle f theinfantry") is an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following on from the BMP-1 of the 1960s. Development his ...

BVP M-80 The BVP M-80 (), is a tracked Yugoslav-made infantry fighting vehicle, produced from the 1980s until the country's collapse in the 1990s. Development Early research and development of the M-80 began in 1969, with testing of the first completed ...

AIFV The AIFV (''Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle'') is an American tracked light armored vehicle that serves as an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in the armies of several countries. It is a development of the M113A1 armored personnel carrier. ...

M2 Bradley The M2 Bradley, or Bradley IFV, is an American infantry fighting vehicle that is a member of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family. It is manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments (formerly United Defense) and entered service in 1981, with fi ...

and Marder IFV tracked infantry fighting vehicles in tracked mechanized infantry battalions *

BTR-3 The BTR-3 is an eight-wheel drive armored personnel carrier developed in 2000 and 2001 by an international consortium. The companies involved in the project include the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau of Ukraine, Adcom Systems o ...

BTR-4 The BTR-4 "Bucephalus" (, abbreviation of ) is an amphibious 8×8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) designed in Ukraine by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (SOE KMDB). They have seen action in the War against the Islami ...

, KTO Rosomak IFV wheeled infantry fighting vehicles in wheeled mechanized infantry battalions *

BTR-60 The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet Union, Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs). It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen in public for the first time in 1961. BTR (vehi ...

BTR-70 The BTR-70 is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier () originally developed by the Soviet Union during the late 1960s under the manufacturing code GAZ-4905. On August 21, 1972, it was accepted into Soviet service and would later be widely exp ...

BTR-80 The BTR-80 () is an 8×8 wheeled Amphibious vehicle, amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the Soviet Union. It was adopted in 1985 and replaced the previous vehicles, the BTR-60 and BTR-70, in the Soviet Army. It was first de ...

, VAB,

M1117 The M1117 armored security vehicle (ASV; nicknamed Guardian) is an internal security vehicle based on the V-100 and V-150 Commando series of armored cars. It was developed in the late 1990s for service with the United States' Military Police ...

TAB-71M The TAB-71 (''Transportorul Amfibiu Blindat model 1971'') is the Romanian license-built version of the BTR-60PB. It was produced between 1970 and 1990 by RATMIL (now Romarm). It is the only other license manufacture of the BTR-60PB. Design and De ...

Patria Pasi The Patria Pasi (earlier known as the Sisu Pasi) is a Finnish-made six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC) originally designed for Finnish Defence Forces. The first variant was produced in 1983, and serial production began in 1984. It was d ...

Pegaso BMR The Pegaso 3560 BMR (Spanish language, Spanish acronym of "Blindado Medio sobre Ruedas", "Medium Armored on Wheels") is a 6x6 wheeled armoured personnel carrier produced in Spain by Enasa since 1979. Technical characteristics Originally po ...

wheeled armored personnel carriers in wheeled mechanized infantry battalions *

MT-LB The MT-LB (, literally "multi-purpose towing vehicle light armored") is a Soviet Union, Soviet multi-purpose, fully amphibious vehicle, amphibious, tracked Armoured fighting vehicle, armored fighting vehicle in use since the 1970s. It was also ...

GT-MU The GT-MU () is an all-terrain, lightly armored and buoyant tracked vehicle developed in the then Soviet Union. The vehicle was developed in the Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod and is a further development of the . The vehicle was primarily used by ...

M113 The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier (APC) that was developed and produced by the FMC Corporation. The M113 was sent to United States Army Europe in 1961 to replace the mechanized infantry's M59 APCs. The M113 was first used ...

FV432 The FV432 is the armoured personnel carrier variant in the British Army's FV430 series of armoured fighting vehicles. Since its introduction in the 1960s, it has been the most common variant, being used for transporting infantry on the battlefie ...

FV105 Sultan FV105 Sultan was a British command and control vehicle based on the CVR(T) platform. It has a higher roof than the armoured personnel carrier variants, providing a more comfortable "office space" inside. Sultan entered service in 1978. It is ...

, FV430 Bulldog tracked armored personnel carriers in tracked mechanized infantry battalions *

BRDM-2 The BRDM-2 (''Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina'', Боевая Разведывательная Дозорная Машина, literally "Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle") is an amphibious armoured scout car designed and developed ...

Fennek The Fennek, named after the fennec (a species of small desert fox), or LGS Fennek, with LGS being short for in German (Light Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle), is a four-wheeled armed reconnaissance vehicle produced by the German company KND ...

armored scout cars, some on tank destroyer configuration * MT-LB-12 (TD) tracked tank destroyers

References

Additional reading

* Feskov – V.I. Feskov, K.A. Kalashnikov, V.I. Golikov, ''The Soviet Army in the Years of the Cold War 1945–91'', Tomsk University Publishing House, Tomsk, 2004 * Lenskiy – А. Г. Ленский, Сухопутные силы РККА в предвоенные годы. Справочник. — Санкт-Петербург Б&К, 2000 {{Armed Forces of Ukraine Army units and formations of Ukraine