{"id":63334,"date":"2026-02-08T23:09:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T22:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=63334"},"modified":"2026-02-15T21:52:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T20:52:20","slug":"ukraine-reinvents-the-jeep-with-more-than-300-khyzhak-buggies-made-from-soviet-vaz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/02\/08\/ukraine-reinvents-the-jeep-with-more-than-300-khyzhak-buggies-made-from-soviet-vaz\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine reinvents the Jeep with more than 300 Khyzhak buggies made from Soviet VAZ"},"content":{"rendered":"

Years ago, light vehicles like the famous Jeep and the Ford MUTT gave way to heavier vehicles like the Humvee and the JLTV.<\/p>\n

V2X Tempest, the vehicle with Longbow missiles used by Ukraine to shoot down drones<\/a><\/rel>
\nFord M151 MUTT, the almost forgotten successor to the Jeep Willys and predecessor to the Humvee<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

However, small and light vehicles are still necessary in military operations<\/strong>, especially in reconnaissance missions and airborne operations. This explains the reappearance of very light vehicles such as the US Marine Corps' M1161 Growler, which I already discussed here<\/a>, the Spanish Army's Falcata mechanical mules<\/a> and the LT-ATV Polaris MRZR D4<\/a>, used by several NATO armies.<\/p>\n

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These vehicles share a common philosophy: very low weight, small size, and priority given to speed and mobility over protection<\/strong>, as they lack armor and in some cases barely resemble a body. They are vehicles that require little maintenance and have very low fuel consumption<\/strong>, and can carry a maximum of two to four fully equipped soldiers.<\/p>\n

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Following the Russian invasion that began on February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces found themselves in need of these types of vehicles<\/strong>, not only to carry out various missions, but also to replace lost vehicles. In 2023, a volunteer initiative was launched that resulted in the Khyzhak buggy<\/strong> (Predator, in Ukrainian), often using engines and wheels from old Soviet VAZ 2121 off-road vehicles<\/a>, also known as Lada Nivas.<\/p>\n

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\"In almost 3 years, the team has already assembled and delivered more than 300 all-terrain and four-wheel-drive vehicles to military units.<\/strong> The buggies are constantly being improved and their production cost is decreasing; now, the project produces one vehicle per day,\"<\/em> notes the Ukrainian website Militarnyi<\/a>, which published a video this Friday showing how these rudimentary but effective vehicles are manufactured<\/strong> (the video is in Ukrainian; you can activate automatic English subtitles in the player's bottom bar):<\/p>\n