Macron announced transfer of AMX-10 RC wheeled tanks to Ukraine
During a phone conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the transfer of AMX-10 RC heavy armored personnel carriers, also classified as wheeled tanks, to Ukraine.
This was said in the Elysee Palace after the conversation.
"The President (of France) wished to expand the military aid (provided to Ukraine) by agreeing to the supply of AMX-10 RC light battle tanks," Macron's office said in a statement.
"This is the first case when Western-made tanks were supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces," the Elysee Palace emphasized.
The message does not specify the amount of equipment in question and when it will be transferred to Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the conversation with Macron was about the supply of light tanks and Bastion armored vehicles.
In October, the mass media reported that it is planned to transfer a combat model to Ukraine that can be equipped with a 12.7-mm machine gun. Bastion is a 12.5-ton, 10-seater armored vehicle manufactured exclusively for export. It is mainly sold to African countries.
The AMX-10 RC is an armored combat vehicle manufactured by the French company GIAT, designed for surveillance. It has been in service with the French forces since 1981. As of 2021, the French army had more than 240 such vehicles; from 2021, they are gradually being replaced by 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 consists of 38 rounds of 105 mm, 4,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, and 16 smoke grenades.
The French BBM is often called a "wheeled tank" because it can fight armored vehicles.
At the end of last year, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the shipment of new French weapons to Ukraine and announced new deliveries for 2023. It is known that the planned deliveries also include Caesar self-propelled artillery installations.
