The Soviet BMP-1 has received an unexpected second chance. In Slovakia, they decided to resume production of hulls for it. Moreover, this is not about restoring old equipment, but about virtually new production – with digital documentation, modern tooling, and armor materials.

STV Machinery has already manufactured 2 prototype hulls at the former facilities of the Czechoslovak enterprise ZŤS in Dubnica nad Váhom, where Soviet BVP-1s were once produced.

Serial production is planned to be launched in 2026–2027 with a potential rate of up to 100 hulls per year. The customer is not disclosed.

At the same time, the Soviet configuration can be almost completely abandoned. Instead of the standard turret with a 73-mm "Grom" gun, the new hull can receive a modern remotely controlled combat module with a 30-mm automatic cannon, modern optics, and anti-tank missiles.

It should be noted that the standard armor of the BMP-1, or as the military themselves call it – "kopeyka" (penny), can only protect the crew from small arms bullets and shrapnel.