Georgia Army Unveils New IFV

The Georgian Defense Ministry has unveiled an indigenously designed and produced infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) called the Lazika at the Vasiani military testing grounds. Developed by the DELTA design bureau, the 14-ton Lazika IFV features multi-layered armor providing protection from 14.5-mm armor-piercing rounds. “When manufacturing Lazika, its producers took the experience of international military industry into account,” Georgian Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia told reporters after testing the vehicle on February 25. Equipped with night-vision and thermal-imaging sights, the Lazika’s armament consists of a 23-mm autocannon and a 7.62-mm machine gun mounted on a remote-controlled weapon platform.