Painful experience in the Syrian Civil War has forced Russia to develop a more heavily armored and better shaped version of the GAZ Tigr (Tiger) multipurpose, all-terrain infantry mobility vehicle, its equivalent of the U.S. Army's Humvee.

The Ground Forces of the Russian Federation or the Russian Army will publicly launch the modified version of the Tigr in mid-2018.

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"We plan to launch a next-generation Tigr next year. It will have a new body frame, enhanced load capacity, and an increased level of protection," according to a statement from GAZ, the company that makes the Tigr.

The ease with which Tigrs operated by Russian Army soldiers and men of the Syrian Arab Army were destroyed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) deployed by anti-Assad forces forced a major redesign of the vehicle.

The new Tigr will feature a V-shaped underchassis and Class 2, 3 and 4 armored protection. It will also have more comfortable accommodations for its crew of 9 to 11 men.

Bitter lessons learned in Syria triggered the program to increase the vehicle's armored protection. 

"It's already at quite a good level, but improvements can be made. The third task after the other two is to boost its engine capacity and improve the vehicle's maneuverability," said Vadim Kozyulin, professor at the Academy of Military Sciences.

He said the new version of Tigr will be funded by the 2018-2025 state procurement program. The new model will be introduced gradually to replace obsolete Tigr models and Rys armored vehicles.

Kozyulin said the number of vehicles the Russian Army will get will be announced by the Defense Ministry after the publication of plans for the procurement of armaments and equipment for the next seven years.

GAZ now wants to install an additional 100 mm gun on the Tigr. The company also said Tigr can be used as a stationary firing point by using the Arbalet unmanned artillery fighting module and the Kornet anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system.

Arbalet allows Russian soldiers to leave their Tigrs; retreat to a safe distance and fire the 100 mm gun or the Kornet ATGMs by remote control.