France may transfer AMX-10P infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine
In recent months, the French leadership has repeatedly announced its readiness to provide the Kyiv regime with armored vehicles and even announced the start of such deliveries. The other day there was information about the possible preparation of a new package of such assistance. Now the possibility of transferring infantry fighting vehicles AMX-10P is being considered. These infantry fighting vehicles were taken out of service by the French army a few years ago, but now they have found use.
According to unofficial data
Previously, the French leadership each time officially announced certain deliveries of weapons or equipment. In some cases, the press clarified the details of such plans. Now the situation looks different. Information about the possible transfer of old infantry fighting vehicles appeared at an unofficial level and has not yet been confirmed.
The existence of such plans and preparations for their implementation on February 17 was announced on his page in one of the social networks by the journalist of the publication L'Opinion Jean-Dominique Marchais. Without giving sources, he said that the French side is going to send 25 AMX-10P products to Ukraine.
The journalist recalled that infantry fighting vehicles of this type were in service with the French army until 2015. Then the equipment was decommissioned, and the army got rid of most of it. However, the armed forces still have a number of AMX-10Ps at their disposal, and these machines could be sold to the Kyiv regime. In addition, J.-D. Marchais offers to sell to Ukraine the old TRF1 towed howitzers, decommissioned by the French army last year.
These "news” appeared a few days ago, but official comments have not yet been received. So far, everything remains at the level of rumors and unconfirmed information from unknown sources. However, there were no official denials of the possibility of shipping the AMX-10P either, which makes the situation look curious.
Perhaps the situation with the old infantry fighting vehicles will clear up in the near future. Official Paris regularly reports on the allocation of this or that assistance, and unnecessary AMX-10P machines may be included in the next such package. However, it is not yet clear when this will happen, or if it will happen at all.
Half a century in service
The French AMX-10P infantry fighting vehicle is very old. The development of this project began in the mid-sixties and was carried out by the design office Ateliers de construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux (AMX). The objective of the project was to create a tracked vehicle capable of transporting infantry, protecting it with armor and supporting it with fire. Officially, such a vehicle was considered as a replacement for older armored personnel carriers, but in fact it was a French analogue of the Soviet BMP-1.
In 1968, the first experimental AMX-10Ps were tested, and the following year, such equipment was shown to the public for the first time. It took several more years to fine-tune the BMP. The first order for its production for the French ground forces was received only in 1972, and by the end of the next year the first batch of equipment was handed over to the customer. By this time, the AMX development organization became part of the newly formed GIAT Industries concern.
The French Armed Forces have consistently made several large orders for production AMX-10Ps. Basically, they bought infantry fighting vehicles in the basic configuration. In addition, AMX / GIAT developed a dozen and a half modifications of various kinds. They differed in purpose, armament and equipment, etc. Of particular interest is the AMX-10RC project. This reconnaissance vehicle received a completely new wheeled chassis.
Already in 1974, GIAT received the first export contract; Greece needed more than a hundred cars of different options. Soon 30 units. equipment was acquired by Qatar, and in the eighties there were orders from Indonesia, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The last foreign customer in the early nineties was Singapore. Having fulfilled the Singapore contract, GIAT closed the production line. By this time, about 1750 infantry fighting vehicles and vehicles based on it had been built.
The AMX-10Ps of the French Army have been in active service for several decades. If necessary, repairs and upgrades were carried out. By the beginning of the tenth years, the active fleet of such equipment consisted of more than 300 vehicles. However, the moral and physical obsolescence of cash infantry fighting vehicles determined their future fate. It was decided to abandon such technology in favor of modern designs. The replacement process lasted until 2015.
Almost simultaneously with France, Greece and Singapore abandoned their AMX-10Ps. Decommissioned equipment was sent for storage or disposed of. Some of the cars were sold abroad. As a result, the list of operators was replenished with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. According to the latest rumors, in the near future a small number of such infantry fighting vehicles may reach Ukraine.
Technical features
The AMX-10P is a tracked armored fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry and provide fire support to them. The combat weight of such an infantry fighting vehicle reaches 14,2 tons. Own crew includes three people - the driver, commander and gunner. The landing compartment is designed for eight fighters.
The BMP is built in a front-engine hull with a central fighting compartment and aft landing. The body was welded from aluminum armor with steel elements. The frontal projection of the machine can withstand 23 mm shells, resistance to 12,7 mm bullets is declared from all other directions. In various modernization projects, it was proposed to install additional booking modules.
AMX-10Ps are equipped with a Hispano-Suiza HS-115-2 diesel engine with an HP 275 power. The transmission based on hydraulic transmission provides torque to the front-mounted drive wheels. Chassis received five road wheels with torsion bar suspension on each side. The speed on the highway is up to 65 km / h, the cruising range is 600 km. Water obstacles are crossed by swimming due to the rewinding of the tracks.
In the basic version, the AMX-10P has a two-seat fighting compartment with an external installation for a 20 mm M693 automatic cannon. Technical rate of fire - 740 rds / min .; shooting single or in bursts is provided. There is a two-way supply of ammunition, due to which shells of different types can be used. A 7,62 mm MAS machine gun is mounted on the swinging part next to the cannon. There are smoke grenade launchers. In the aft doors of the troop compartment, loopholes are provided for firing from a personal weapons.
Doubtful help
According to unconfirmed reports, France is going to transfer to Ukraine 25 AMX-10P infantry fighting vehicles, previously withdrawn from service and now idle in storage. There are no official comments on this matter, but it cannot be ruled out that Paris is indeed preparing such a delivery - although it has not yet announced it. However, the prospects for such assistance and its benefits for the recipient are clear even without official data.
As always, the foreign "partner" sends or is going to send to Ukraine a small number of morally and physically obsolete combat vehicles. The results of this are obvious. Due to their small numbers, they will not affect the state of the Ukrainian armored vehicle fleet and will not change its combat capabilities. At the same time, the results of assistance will be negatively affected by the large age and non-compliance with modern requirements.
In general, it is easy to see why the French army 10-12 years ago considered the AMX-10P BMP obsolete and abandoned it. First of all, this is the general age of the equipment. Almost all infantry fighting vehicles for France were made in the seventies and eighties. To date, their age has exceeded 35-45 years, and during the service they managed to develop almost the entire resource.
AMX-10P was developed in the late sixties, taking into account the characteristic threats of that time. As a result, the machine is protected only from small-caliber projectiles, and at limited distances. The widespread 30-mm systems, apparently, pose a fatal danger to the French infantry fighting vehicle. Installing an additional reservation in general does not change the situation.
The standard weapon of the AMX-10P was a 20 mm automatic cannon. By now, this tool is hopelessly outdated. It is able to fight only with manpower, unarmored vehicles and unfortified buildings. Almost any modern armored vehicle, ranging from infantry fighting vehicles of various types, will withstand its shells, and will also be able to return fire with a predictable result.
Rumors and reality
Thus, while there is a specific situation. At the level of rumors, the possibility of the appearance in Ukraine of another sample of French military equipment, the AMX-10P infantry fighting vehicle, is mentioned. At the same time, official information on this subject is not yet available, and common sense shows that it is inappropriate to provide assistance in the form of obsolete cars.
However, it cannot be ruled out that plans for the transfer of the AMX-10P do exist, are being worked out or are being prepared for implementation. The supply of such equipment, despite all the obvious problems, is consistent with the current policy of Paris and its allies. They seek to help the Kyiv regime, but are in no hurry to part with modern weapons and equipment that they themselves need. Mostly obsolete samples are sent as assistance, while their potential, opportunities and benefits for the recipient fade into the background.
Information