From Kabul to Kyiv: The M1117 Armored Car’s Second Life in Ukraine
A Blast from Afghanistan’s Past
Ukraine is about to inherit some of the strangest GWOT (Global War on Terror) hangovers on wheels: the Mobile Strike Force Vehicle, better known as the Afghan-specific version of the M1117 Armored Security Vehicle (officially called the Guardian).
The Pentagon’s Detroit Arsenal just announced plans to buy 65 of these things for Ukraine from Textron (as well as a year’s worth of spare parts), dusting off a production line that last saw action around 2019.
If you’re getting déjà vu, it’s because Ukraine already has a fleet of vanilla M1117s donated straight from US Army stocks.
But these new ones are different.
These are the “MSFV” variant, tailored for the Afghan National Army. The shipment was halted right before Kabul fell in 2021. This variant has reinforced hulls, better blast protection, and slightly more comfortable seating for Afghan troops who knew they were riding around on Taliban IED bingo cards.
Ironically, the Taliban captured a bunch of them when Afghanistan collapsed, and now their cousins are headed to Ukraine to fight the Russians. You couldn’t script it better if you tried.
The baseline M1117 Guardian was already a rugged little bastard. Weighing in at nearly 30,000 pounds, it could hustle at 63 miles per hour and offered a variety of kit options depending on your mission set.
It was designed in the 1990s to survive the Balkans, where RPGs were party favors.
The MSFV variant, though, went one better. Textron stretched the hull for more space, slapped in improved blast protection for mines and IEDs, and added modular seating options.
Think of it as the original Guardian with an upgraded “asymmetric warfare” kit.
It will be interesting to see which outfitting options of the MSFV variant Ukraine will receive.
The most recognizable of the MSFV variants was the turreted fire support model, a close cousin of the baseline M1117.
This version mounted both the .50 caliber M2 Browning machine gun and the Mk 19 40mm automatic grenade launcher (one of my personal favorites), all fired from inside the protection of the armored turret. For Afghan crews, this meant they could dish out serious firepower without exposing themselves to small-arms ambushes or RPG potshots from the nearest mud wall.
In Eastern Ukraine, the same combination offers a way to suppress infantry, shred light Russian vehicles or drones, and scatter any unlucky Russian drone operators who happen to be within range.
Then there is the open-topped “gun truck”, essentially a stripped-down MSFV with a pintle-mounted .50 cal machine gun sticking out the roof. This was the dust-bowl patrol version, designed for open Afghan roads where high visibility and flexibility mattered more than full protection.
Of course, open tops mean added vulnerability from above, which in Ukraine translates directly into “FPV drone bait.” But in Afghanistan, it worked wonders when you needed to scan the dusty horizon for hours.
Unless Ukrainians armor these the way they’ve been armoring everything else, the open-topped MSFV could be a risky ride. Still, when speed and a heavy gun are more important than sealed armor, this variant fills a niche, particularly in areas where Ukraine knows that drone resistance is light.
Another critical option was the armored ambulance. In Afghanistan, these offered a badly needed alternative to civilian Hilux pickups with hasty red crosses painted on the doors.
With armor plating and blast-resistant hulls, they provided a chance for wounded soldiers to survive the gauntlet of roadside bombs on the way to medical stations. In Ukraine, the ambulance variant could prove invaluable. Medevac helicopters remain risky targets under Russia’s drone umbrella, so armored ground transport becomes the only realistic way to move casualties these days.
A properly equipped MSFV ambulance could mean the difference between a stabilized soldier making it back to fight another day and another tragic statistic in a war full of them.
Actually, I wrote about how the drone war has killed the “Golden Hour.” That is, the time immediately after a soldier is wounded to the time that soldier gets trauma care.
Finally, there was the never-was variant: a proposed fire support MSFV with a 90mm gun turret.
On paper, this would have transformed the vehicle into a “pocket tank”, capable of delivering heavy direct fire. In practice, the idea died a quiet death. The stretched M1117 chassis simply wasn’t designed to carry a gun of that caliber without sacrificing mobility, reliability, or both.
And let’s be honest, nobody wants a “pocket tank” that can barely move after the first shot. Afghanistan never got them, and Ukraine probably dodged a bullet there, too.
Still, if there is one lesson Ukraine has learned the hard way, it’s that the sky is not your friend. Russia’s FPV kamikaze drones and Lancets are everywhere, hunting anything that moves.
The MSFV, like the M1117, is not invulnerable, but it offers exactly what Ukrainian troops need: a survivable battle taxi through drone hell.
Even if a Lancet shows up, the blast protection gives the crew a fighting chance. Compare that to the canvas-roofed Hiluxes or Land Rovers and you start to see why these Afghan leftovers are suddenly valuable.
Expect Ukrainians to slap on their now-famous cages or custom drone screens on these new variants. Pictures already show the old, standard M1117s in Ukraine covered in welded metal mesh like Mad Max props.
Okay, so given what we know about how Russia fights in Eastern Ukraine, how might the AFU use these beasts?
I see a few different options:
One of the strongest uses for the MSFV in Ukraine will be as a mobile fire support platform. The .50 caliber M2 Browning and the Mk 19 grenade launcher give infantry something they badly need when pressing into contested zones: portable, suppressive firepower that can follow them into the thick of it.
Imagine Russian infantry charging forward on their absurd “Termit drone donkeys” or dirt bikes, only to be met with streams of 40mm grenades.
The result is less “heroic Russian assault” and more “instant hamburger.”
Then there are protected logistics runs.
Moving supplies between trenches in a Hilux pickup is the equivalent of painting a bullseye on your hood.
Mines, shrapnel, and FPV drones have turned soft-skinned vehicles into disposable coffins. The MSFV’s blast-resistant hull changes that math. While no vehicle is invincible on today’s battlefield, I would much rather ride in an armored escort than a Land Rover.
Even buying an extra thirty seconds of survivability against shrapnel or mines can mean the difference between resupplying a platoon and leaving them high and dry.
Then there’s the case for CASEVAC.
As I mentioned above, if Ukraine receives the ambulance variant, it could prove one of the most important battlefield contributions of this vehicle family.
Medevac helicopters remain tempting targets under constant Russian drone and missile surveillance, which makes armored ground transport the safer bet. In fact, helicopters are effectively grounded in Eastern Ukraine and have been since mid-2023.
A properly kitted MSFV ambulance can roll through a drone-scanned kill zone, shield casualties from shrapnel and small-arms fire, and deliver them alive to stabilization points.
Ukrainian engineers have developed a habit of taking Western armor and adding their own battlefield twists.
Indeed, the bulk of my writing since 2014 has been on how NATO weapons, together with Ukrainian ingenuity, result in Russian tears.
We have seen it with Bradleys wrapped in cages, Leopards covered in rooftop screens, and even artillery tractors turned into rolling hedgehogs. The MSFV will be no different.
Expect to see these vehicles bristling with anti-drone nets, slat armor, and improvised steel plating. The result may look ugly, like someone welded a jungle gym to the top of an armored car, but in Ukraine, ugly equals survival. A drone-proofed MSFV becomes more than just a taxi; it becomes a lifeline for troops who would otherwise be at the mercy of cheap FPVs buzzing overhead.
It is fitting, in a darkly ironic way, that vehicles designed for Afghanistan’s lost war are being resurrected in Europe’s current one. The Taliban took theirs for victory parades in Kandahar. Ukraine will use theirs to chew through Russian assault waves in Zaporizhzhia.
The MSFV is no tank, but sometimes what you need is not the flashiest weapon, but the right blend of survivability, firepower, and availability. And in that regard, these Afghan-built Guardians may find a second life worth the money.
The MSFV is next in line, and while it won’t win the war by itself, it will make sure more Ukrainians live to see that this war is eventually won.
And in that sense, unassuming armored vehicles like this just might be the quiet, unsung heroes of this war, because keeping Ukrainians alive is the most important objective on this battlefield.
I’ll reach out to my Ukrainian contacts and report back with how these stack up to, say, the Aussie Bushmaster and other APCs.
Thanks for reading, ya’ll!
Слава Україні!
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