Ukrainian Military Commander Values ​​French Tanks as Having Good Weapons But Not Suitable for Counter Attacks, Why?

JAKARTA - The Ukrainian military commander said that the light tanks provided by France were well-armed, but not suitable for supporting the counterattack that was being carried out against Russia.

Ukraine continues to look to its Western allies for arms and training support, as they mount a counteroffensive to retake about 18 percent of its territory occupied by Russia, taking advantage of the confusion and low morale of Moscow's troops.

France is known to have delivered AMX-10 RC light tanks to Ukraine. Having a number of advantages, the armored vehicle also has disadvantages to support the Ukrainian military's counterattack.

"These tanks are used for fire support, due to their light armor," according to the Commander of a battalion of the 37th Naval Infantry Brigade under the pseudonym Major Spartanets, describing his observations of the tanks during their deployment to the Donetsk region, quoted from Euronews and AFP July 3.

"Their armament is good, their observation instruments are very good. But the pity is that the armor is thin, which makes it unsuitable."

In January, French President Emmanuel Macron promised delivery of this highly mobile armored reconnaissance vehicle, equipped with a powerful 105mm gun. Four months later, these vehicles are already operating at the front, according to the Ukrainian government.

However, in a high-intensity war marked by constant heavy artillery barrages, its thin armor proved to be a major weakness, according to Major Spartanets.

"A shell exploded next to the vehicle, its fragments penetrated the armor, and the ammunition stock (in the tank) exploded," he said.

"Unfortunately, four crew members remained inside. They died in the armored vehicle," he continued.

Furthermore, Major Spartanets explained that a number of AMX-10 RC also experienced problems with the gearbox, which, according to his assessment, was because they were used on dirt roads.

"Sending these vehicles (to counterattack) to be destroyed is pointless because it is a risk, especially for the crew," the officer said, without specifying the number of French armored vehicles in his brigade, declining to show AFP the AMX-10 RC tanks deployed on the front line.

Major Spartanets himself claims his soldiers underwent a month of training in France to learn how to use the vehicle, although not enough to master it.

According to him, the armored light transport vehicles Oshkosh from America and Husky from England, which were also delivered to Kyiv, were more suitable and effective than the AMX-10 RC. Both are designed to withstand explosives and ambushes.

He showed AFP the two Oshkosh used by his unit. One of them suffered slight damage to the bonnet from shrapnel.

"Apart from that, in terms of protection, this vehicle is very cool," said Spartanets.

"When an Oshkosh explodes on a mine, a wheel can come off, but the infantry is not worried," he explained. Conversely, when a Soviet-designed transport vehicle, such as a BMP or BMD, ran over a mine, "it was very sad for the crew and the vehicles".

Separately, French military expert Michel Goya wrote on Twitter in January, the armor's high mobility makes it especially useful "for use in 'fire support brigade' units behind the front lines" or for quickly exploiting gaps in front lines.

However, the AMX-10 RC was not designed "for combat against more heavily armed battle tanks", he added, pointing out the tank's armor was too 'weak' to withstand "all the anti-tank weapons on the modern battlefield".

Meanwhile, the Oryx website, which tracks equipment losses on both sides based on images freely published on the internet, claims at least three AMX-10 RCs have been "abandoned" after becoming unusable during frontline combat.

According to the French military, the AMX-10 RC, which displaces around 20 tons, is protected from light infantry weapons. Developed in the 1970s, it was gradually replaced by the more modern armored vehicle, the Jaguar.