A French AMX-10 RC seen here in Paris after the parade on July 14, 2021. By Wikimedia user (Kevin.B)
France will supply Ukraine with AMX-10 RC wheeled light tanks, President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced on January 4.
The Elysée said in a statement after a phone call between Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy that France will send the light tanks, which the French military has been gradually replacing with new Jaguar armoured reconnaissance vehicle.
An adviser to France’s Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu said that that decision was made to help Kiev prepare for “a possible Russian offensive” in the spring. The Russian military has been counducting a special operation to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine since February of last year.
“Ukraine is at a tipping point now at the frontline,” he said.
The 6×6 AMX-10 RC was manufactured by France’s Nexter Systems in the 1980s. The light tank’s main armament is a 105 mm F2 BK MECA L/47 medium-pressure gun that can fire APFSDS [armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot] rounds. Usually, the tank is loaded with 38 rounds of different types. Its second armament is a 7.62 mm NF1 coaxial machine gun with 4,000 cartridges.
The light tank, which is powered by a Baudouin Diesel Model 6F11 SRX with 280 hp, is known for its high mobility. It has an operation range of 800 kilometers with a top speed of 40 kilometers per hour off road and up to 85 kilometers per hour on road.
However, the AMX-10 RC is poorly armored. The tank has a frontal armour resistant against 23 mm armour-piercing ammunition from 300 meters and resistance against 14.5 mm ammunition all-around with add-on armor.
The French military possess more than 240 AMX-10 RC light tanks. It is still unknown how many will be supplied to Ukraine, or when.
By supplying the AMX-10 RC, France will become the first country to send Western-made tanks to Ukraine. Prior to the French decision, Kiev forces were only supplied with Soviet-made tanks from Eastern European NATO states and other sources.
It’s worth noting that France has already supplied Ukraine with self-propelled howitzers, dozens of armored vehicles as well as hundreds of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.
The French light tanks will likely make up for Ukraine’s armor losses. Nevertheless, they will not shift the balance of power in the battlefield. Like all other weapons supplied to Kiev forces, they are only meant to prolong the conflict.
