The LIFV with the Nefer turret on the Calidus stand at IDEX 2025. (Janes/Jeremy Binnie)
The Emirati company Calidus unveiled its new 8×8 light infantry fighting vehicle (LIFV) during the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) 2025 held in Abu Dhabi from 17 to 21 February.
Petar Radulović, the director of engineering at Calidus Land Systems, told Janes that the LIFV has “huge commonality” with the Wahash 8×8 wheeled IFV that the company unveiled at IDEX 2019, although it has a significantly smaller profile, including the same engine and transmission. The LIFV does not have the IFV's amphibious propulsion system but has the overpressure system for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protection.
Unlike the Wahash, which was designed from the outset to accommodate the two-person turret from the BMP-3 IFV, the LIFV can only be fitted with an unmanned weapon station, ensuring the smaller vehicle still has space for up to 10 soldiers in addition to a crew of three.
The prototype displayed at IDEX 2025 had eight passenger seats and was fitted with the Turkish company Aselsan's Nefer unmanned turret, which can be armed with a 25 or 30 mm main gun, a co-axial 12.7 or 7.62 mm machine gun, and optional anti-tank missiles. Radulović said the LIFV has a combat weight of 27 tonnes with the Nefer, but its gross vehicle weight (GVW) can be as high as 34 tonnes.
Wahash variants
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