Free disposal: French wheeled tanks AMX-10RC for Ukraine
AMX-10RC of the French army on exercises
At the end of last year, foreign patrons of the Kyiv regime moved to discuss the possible supply of tanks and other NATO-style armored vehicles. Soon the principal decisions were made and approximate plans were drawn up. In particular, France expressed its readiness to send its "wheeled tanks" AMX-10RC to Ukraine. The Kyiv regime was promised several dozen such vehicles, and at least some of them have already been shipped.
Plans and their implementation
The first mention of a heavy armored car / combat vehicle with heavy weapons / wheeled tank AMX-10RC in the context of military-technical assistance for Ukraine dates back to the beginning of January 2023. At that time, foreign media reported that during the next French-Ukrainian negotiations, Emmanuel Macron personally promised to transfer to Kiev the regime a certain number of armored cars from the presence of its army. At the same time, the press noted that this could be the first delivery of NATO-style tanks to Ukraine.
By mid-January, details of future deliveries became known. 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 indicated that the equipment will be sent within the next two months, i.e. until mid March. 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. Moreover, some vehicles even managed to get into the war zone. However, no details of this delivery were specified.
However, the French press was able to obtain additional information. With reference to a source in the Ministry of Defense, it was stated that the first batch, already transferred to the recipient, included 14 units. AMX-10RC. In addition, recently one of the training centers of the French army has trained 14 Ukrainian crews.
Car with additional reservation
For a new user
By the end of March, 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. They showed at least one of the received BMTVs, as well as its crew, performing various manipulations. 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 vehicles. News the continuation of deliveries has not yet been reported. At the same time, more than two months have passed since the transfer of the first batch of AMX-10RC, and France had enough time for further deliveries.
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. In addition, it, along with other imported vehicles, can be saved for the notorious "counterattack". As the long-promised offensive is constantly shifting, AMX-10RC products remain in the rear and are not yet at risk.
A sample from the past
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 design bureau Ateliers de construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux (later became part of the GIAT corporation, now Nexter) with the participation of other defense organizations.
The aim of the project was to create a heavy armored vehicle with a full-fledged turret and large-caliber weapons capable of solving a wide range of combat missions. The car was supposed to patrol, conduct reconnaissance, escort convoys - and at the same time be able to attack protected targets, incl. tanks.
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.
Initially, the French ground forces planned to acquire more than 400 "wheeled tanks", but then the plans were reduced to 350 units. They were performed under several contracts; the last required vehicles entered the troops in the mid-eighties. Since the beginning of the decade, AMX-10RCs have also been produced for export. The first foreign customer was the army of Morocco - 108 units. Then such equipment was acquired by Cameroon and Qatar. Taking into account export orders, the total number of armored vehicles built reached the level of 450-460 units.
AMX-10RCs, mostly French, have been used in real military operations on numerous occasions. Such equipment participated in the "Desert Storm", as well as in the hostilities in Mali. The Moroccan army also actively used its "wheeled tanks".
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 approx. 240 cars. Now 40 units. transferred to Ukraine, which to a certain extent speeds up the process of decommissioning.
With limited features
The AMX-10RC is a three-axle wheeled armored vehicle with a large-caliber gun in a full-rotation turret. Such an architecture leads to a specific ratio of the main characteristics, and also imposes restrictions on combat use and effectiveness.
The "wheeled tank" is built on the basis of a welded armored hull 6,25 m long (the length of the vehicle with the gun forward exceeds 9 m). The combat weight reaches 15,8 tons. A “tank” layout was used with a front driver, a central fighting compartment and an aft engine compartment. The crew includes four people.
"Wheeled tank" in Ukraine
Aluminum armor protects the frontal projection from large-caliber bullets or normal-caliber bullets from other angles. Mounted steel armor was also developed. With its help, the forehead withstands 23-mm projectiles, and the rest of the projections - 14,5-mm bullets. An additional means of protection are two blocks of smoke grenade launchers on the forehead of the tower. Part of the serial AMX-10RC received the Eirel optoelectronic suppression complex.
Early production vehicles were equipped with 115 hp Hispano-Suiza HS 2-260 engines. Later, a 300 hp Baudouin 6F11 SRX was introduced. Power is delivered to all six wheels through a GIAT ARE 4AD60 gearbox, transfer boxes and wheel reduction gears. Curiously, the AMX-10RC lacks steerable wheels. The turn is carried out "in a tank way" - due to the braking of the wheels of one side. All wheels use an independent hydropneumatic suspension with the ability to control.
On the highway, the AMX-10RC is capable of speeds up to 85 km/h. Off-road, the maximum speed is halved. For movement on water, feed water cannons are provided. At the same time, the installation of additional booking leads to an excessive increase in mass and loss of the ability to swim.
The turret of the armored car is equipped with a 105-mm low-pressure rifled gun Model F2 MECA. It has a 48 klb barrel with a muzzle brake and a heat shield. The breech is equipped with a vertical semi-automatic shutter. The gun mount provides vertical guidance with angles from -8° to +20°. Additional weapon - coaxial and anti-aircraft machine guns of 7,62 mm caliber.
For the F2 gun, their own unitary shots have been developed that do not meet common NATO standards. There are high-explosive fragmentation, cumulative, sub-caliber armor-piercing, incendiary, smoke and practical shells. Sub-caliber and cumulative are capable of penetrating up to 365 mm of homogeneous armor. Ammunition "wheeled tank" includes 38 rounds of various types.
The armament is controlled by the Safran M401 COTAC fire control system. It includes several optical instruments, a television sight, a night vision device, as well as a ballistic computer and stabilizer. Night devices provide observation and shooting at ranges of no more than 1000-1200 m.
Big problems
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.
Otherwise, there are a lot of questions and complaints about such an armored car. So, even with additional armor, the AMX-10RC cannot withstand shelling from the most common modern small-caliber guns. The parameters of the 105-mm gun are insufficient to fight modern tanks and are redundant for other purposes. The wheeled chassis performs well only on the highway or hard ground, while the slush drastically reduces mobility.
The French command a few years ago soberly assessed the existing "wheeled tanks" and decided to replace them. This fact perfectly shows the real potential of such equipment in the modern army. 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.
Free recycling
Thus, a limited number of morally and physically obsolete cars are again being transferred to Ukraine. Moreover, this time we are talking about a technique built on the basis of an ambiguous or even dubious concept. As a result, the supply of AMX-10RC products will not give the Kyiv regime any advantages, but will lead to additional problems.
The beneficiaries in this situation are France and some of its defense industry enterprises. Official Paris solves its political tasks. 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 the production and purchase of modern equipment, and the process of obtaining the necessary financing is also simplified.
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