Ukrainian marines receive French AMX-10RC tanks

18 April, 2023 AMX-10RC in service with the Ukrainian Marines, April 2023. Frame from the video of Oleksii Reznikov French AMX-10RC armored fighting vehicles entered service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Units of the Ukrainian Marines received the equipment. Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine, reported about this. He also posted a video featuring these French armored fighting vehicles and their crews.

France transfers AMX-10RC armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine as part of defense assistance.

AMX-10RC armored fighting vehicles of the Ukrainian Marines, April 2023. Frame from the video of Oleksii Reznikov

Armored fighting vehicles are necessary to resist a full-scale Russian invasion and to liberate temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. Ukrainian crews have previously undergone training to operate these vehicles. They were trained by French instructors at the cavalry school in Saumur.

The minister thanked the French side for the support and provided armored fighting vehicles. "Thank you to my colleague Sebastien Lecornu and to Emmanuel Macron with whom I had a chance to meet and to discuss our priorities and needs. And of course, thank you to all people of France for your strong support!" Reznikov wrote on Twitter.

AMX-10RC in service with the Ukrainian Marines, April 2023.

Frame from the video of Oleksii Reznikov

France decided to transfer the AMX-10RC to Ukraine at the beginning of January this year. For security reasons, the Ministry of Defense of France did not disclose how many of these vehicles Ukraine would receive. According to the sources of Army Recognition, the Ukrainian military should receive 30 AMX-10 RC. In mid-March, Sebastien Lecornu, Minister of Defense of France reported that the equipment had arrived in Ukraine. He also noted that this is the first delivery of armored vehicles, the decision to send the second batch was in the process of being adopted at that time.

The French AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles have high mobility due to their wheelbases. The armored fighting vehicle has a 6x6 wheel arrangement and is equipped with a hydropneumatic suspension system with variable ground clearance and inclination. Therefore, a combat vehicle can effectively disguise itself in the terrain.

AMX-10 RC of the French military in Afghanistan.

2011. Photo credits: World Armies

The vehicles can be used for reconnaissance missions and provide infantry fire support in combat. It is armed with a 105/47 F2 MECA 105mm rifled tank gun.

The gun's armament includes APFSDS, HEAT-FS, and high-explosive and fragmentation ammunition.