Macron Promises Zelenskyy AMX-10 RC Wheeled Tanks and Bastion Armoured Vehicles
Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, announced during the phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, that France will provide Ukraine with AMX-10 RC armoured personnel carriers, which are also classified as wheeled tanks.
"The President (of France) has decided to extend the military aid (provided to Ukraine) by agreeing to the delivery of AMX-10 RC light battle tanks", the Macron administration reported.
"This is the first time the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been provided with Western-made tanks", the Elysee Palace stressed.
The report does not explain how many pieces of military equipment will be transferred to Ukraine or when it will happen.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that during the phone call with Macron, they discussed the supply of light tanks as well as the Bastion armoured vehicles.
In October, the media outlets reported that it was planned to supply Ukraine with a combat model that could also be equipped with a 12.7 mm machine gun. The Bastion is a 12.5-tonnes 10-seat armoured vehicle that is only produced for export. It is mostly sold to African countries.
The AMX-10 RC is a combat armoured vehicle designed for conducting reconnaissance and produced by the French company GIAT. It has been in service of the French Armed Forces since 1981. As of 2021, the French army had over 240 such vehicles; since 2021, they have been gradually replaced with Jaguar combat reconnaissance vehicles.
The AMX-10 RC is equipped with a 105-mm gun, a 7.62 mm machine gun and two electrically operated smoke grenade launchers on each side of the turret. Ammunition capacity is 38 rounds of 105 mm, 4,000 shells of 7.62 mm and 16 smoke grenades.
This French combat armoured vehicle is often called a "wheeled tank" since it is capable of fighting armoured military equipment.
At the end of last year, Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, confirmed the new French military aid package for Ukraine and announced new supplies for 2023. The Caesar self-propelled artillery systems are also on the list.