The YPR-765 is a Dutch infantry fighting vehicle. It is based on the AIFV design developed by the FMC Corporation.[3] It replaced the AMX-VCI and YP-408 of the Royal Netherlands Army and entered service in 1977.[4][5] The Dutch YPR-765s were later replaced by the CV90, Fennek and Boxer.[6][7]
The vehicles were built by the FMC together with several Dutch companies such as DAF and Philips.[9] The division of labour was that FMC built the chassis of the vehicle, while DAF was responsible for the interior and constructed the 227 specially designed turrets that were equipped with a 25 mm Oerlikon KBA-B02 cannon.[4][8][13] In addition, Philips designed the fire control system of the YPR-765.[4] The final assembly and integrating all the different parts was also done by DAF.[14]
A follow-up order for 160 YPR-765s was placed in 1978 at a cost of 63 million Dutch guilders.[15] 116 of these vehicles were equipped with TOW launchers, while 36 were built as command vehicles and 8 as recovery vehicles.[16] The additional cost of equipping the 116 vehicles with turrets that can launch TOW missiles was estimated at 55 million Dutch guilders.[16]
The Dutch government placed a third order in 1980 for 185 YPR-765s at a cost of 256 million Dutch guilders.[17] 107 of these vehicles were to be equipped with TOW launchers.[18] Like previous orders, the YPR-765s would be built by FMC Corporation together with Dutch companies, which in this order would be DAF and RSV.[17]
In 1980, the Dutch Ministry of Defence was also looking at four different vehicles that could replace the 743 YP-408s of the Royal Netherlands Army, which included the Marder, TPZ-1, YPR-765 and XM-2.[19] For the replacement of the YP-408, the Dutch government had reserved around 1.1 billion Dutch guilders.[17] The following year, in 1981, it was decided to order 841 YPR-765s as a replacement.[5] However, unlike the first series of YPR-765s that replaced the AMX-13, this series would be fully built in the Netherlands by a consortium of DAF and RSV.[20] This was the result of the consortium acquiring the license rights to build the vehicles.[21] FMC Corporation had offered to build the vehicles for a lower price than the DAF-RSV consortium, but the Dutch government wanted to stimulate employment in the Netherlands.[20]
Around 1990, the Royal Netherlands Army had 2,140 YPR-765s in service.[22]
Dutch variants:[23] (the Pantser Rups designation means armoured tracked)
More than 100 YPR-765s of the Royal Netherlands Army were active in Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the Dutch troops that participated in UNPROFOR, IFOR and the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[25]
Several ISAF missions in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2010
Dutch YPR-765s have been extensively used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War. According to the Oryx blog, as of 28 June 2025, 89 YPR-765s have been destroyed, 9 damaged, 16 abandoned and 8 captured by Russian forces.[26] According to Forbes, at least one of which, was briefly used by Russian forces, until it was destroyed.[27]
In early April 2023, the Dutch Ministry of Defence reported it had donated 196 YPR-765s to Ukraine during the course of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[28][29][30] By 20 May 2024, the Ministry of Defence had delivered 207 vehicles with more reportedly on the way.[31] As of 29 September 2024, the Dutch Ministry of Defence reported a total of 353 units delivered and pledged.[32]
