Russia-Ukraine War: More details emerge

Special Correspondent

At the end of 2022, it was widely reported in the media that foreign patrons of the Kyiv regime discussed the possibility of the supply of tanks and other NATO-style armored vehicles to the war-torn country.

Approximate plans were allegedly drawn up. In particular France reportedly expressed its readiness to send wheeled tanks AMX-10RC to Ukraine.

By mid-January, details of deliveries started emerging. According to media reports it was planned to transfer 40 armored vehicles that were decommissioned by the combat units of the French army.

French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu reportedly indicated that the equipment will be sent as soon as [possible. In addition, the ministry was going to quickly organize the education and training of Ukrainian crews.

In mid-March the head of the French military department spoke about the first successes.

He stated that the first batch of “wheeled tanks” had already arrived in Ukraine. By the end of March 2023 information about the transfer of equipment received worthy confirmation.

Several short videos shot at one of the Ukrainian bases turned out to be in the public domain. Probably at the time of the shooting the process of mastering the equipment by the combat unit continued.

To date, officials and press sources have reported the transfer of only one batch of French armored vehicle.

News about the continuation of deliveries has not yet been received. At the same time, more than two months have passed since the transfer of the first batch of AMX-10RC.

Reliable information about the appearance of “wheeled tanks” in the combat zone has not yet appeared. It is likely that Ukrainian formations continue to master this technique and are not ready to use it due to the complexity of training.

Like other combat vehicles transferred to Ukraine by foreign countries the AMX-10RC is not distinguished by its small age and novelty. The development of this sample began in 1970 at the Ateliers de construction d’Issy-les-Moulineaux design office with the participation of other defense organizations.

Design work was completed in the mid-seventies and soon the newly created corporation GIAT brought the first prototypes to the test. Fine-tuning and preparation of the series took several more years. The troops began to receive new equipment in 1979.

A few years ago, the French Ministry of Defense considered that the AMX-10RC armored cars were morally and physically obsolete. In this regard they began to be replaced by modern EBRC Jaguar armored vehicles and the number of “wheeled tanks” is gradually decreasing. At the beginning of this year, there were about 240 cars in stock. Now 40 units are reportedly being transferred to Ukraine to speed up the process of decommissioning.

Like other “wheeled tanks” / BMTV the French product AMX-10RC is a controversial design. Its unequivocal pluses include only high mobility on a good road, due to the wheeled chassis ease of operation and the fact of installing a full-fledged gun on a fairly light platform.

A few years ago, the French command reportedly assessed the existing “wheeled tanks” and decided to replace them. The released vehicles are handed over to Ukraine – and now its formations will have to face all known shortcomings. In addition, physical obsolescence of equipment will add problems.

Thus, a limited number of morally and physically obsolete cars are again being transferred to Ukraine.

As a result, the supply of AMX-10RC products may lead to additional problems and losses.

The beneficiaries in this situation are France and some of its defense industry enterprises. Official Paris solves its political problems. The army gets the opportunity to write off unnecessary equipment without encountering objections and even receiving explicit approval.

In addition, there is a reason to accelerate rearmament, and the process of obtaining the necessary funding is also simplified.

 

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