The West is making Kiev more and more weighty gifts
In the article " They don't look at a rusty tank in the trucks " ("HBO" from 04/22/12) the question of what heavy equipment of Soviet and Eastern European production the West can supply to Ukraine was considered in detail. It also said that if it comes to the supply of heavy equipment of Western production, it would be easiest to transfer armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles to the Ukrainian army. They are the easiest to master for personnel, while there are many cars of this class in the West.
It can be assumed (partly this is already confirmed in practice) that first of all light armored vehicles (including cars of the MRAR class), as well as old "classic" armored personnel carriers, which are not very sorry, will go to Ukraine. This issue was discussed in the article " An imported armored car in Ukraine is not a luxury " ("HBO" dated 17.06.22).
However, of course, it cannot be ruled out that more expensive, more powerful and battle–resistant equipment - BMTV, BMP and modern heavy armored personnel carriers - will also go to Ukraine.
TO THE HISTORY OF THE ISSUE
The concept of an infantry fighting vehicle capable of operating on the battlefield in the same battle formations as tanks originated in the 1960s. The BMP was to have a fully enclosed and fully armored hull, tracks, a cannon and, if possible, an ATGM.
For a long time, the BMP was considered precisely as a tracked vehicle for transporting infantry equipped with a cannon. However, in the late 1980s, in connection with the signing of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, the BMP ceased to be considered necessarily a tracked vehicle. The division between the BMP and the APC began to take place exclusively on the basis of weapons: BMP – with a cannon, APC – with a machine gun.
And since the 1890s, almost all specialized armored personnel carriers have become heavy vehicles - often with armor that protects at least the frontal projections from 20-30 mm shells. In addition, almost all of them were armed with guns (at least the same calibers from 20 to 30 mm). Moreover, weapons are now, as a rule, placed in remotely controlled modules (that is, from inside the APC body).
In this regard, the classification problem described above arises: consider these machines as heavy armored personnel carriers or wheeled infantry fighting vehicles.
In addition, in the 1980s, a class of BMTV appeared - wheeled vehicles with armor like an APC, but with guns like tanks (at least 76 mm, but more often – 105 or even 120 mm). Here, too, there were questions of classification. Often such vehicles are called wheeled tanks, which is somewhat strange – in terms of cross-country ability and security, these are far from tanks.
As is the case with the old classic armored personnel carriers and light armored vehicles, many auxiliary vehicles (KSM, engineering, medical, etc.) are being created on the basis of BMP and heavy armored personnel carriers. In this article they will not be taken into account, only combat options are discussed, including self-propelled mortars and ATGM carriers.
THE ARSENAL OF THE COLLECTIVE WEST
The oldest and therefore least valuable European infantry fighting vehicles built according to the classical scheme (that is, tracked) are the German Marder and the French AMX-10R.
There are up to 739 Marders in the Bundeswehr, and some of these cars have a good chance of moving to Ukraine. The situation with the AMX-10R is unclear. They have long been removed from the service of the French army. Theoretically, up to 650 of these IFVs can remain in storage – but most likely they are many times smaller (if they exist at all) and it is extremely doubtful that they have retained combat capability.
To replace these IFVs, the German army received 350 Puma IFVs, and the French received 519 VBCI wheeled IFVs. But it is extremely unlikely that Berlin and Paris are ready to share them with Kiev. It is no less doubtful that France is ready to give Ukraine the heavy VBMR "Gryphon" armored personnel carriers that have just begun to enter service (there are about 220 units now).
Most likely, Germany will also regret its heavy armored personnel carrier "Boxer", created jointly with the Netherlands. The German army has 305 such vehicles in the linear version, another 85 – in Lithuania and 28 – in Australia (and there will be more than 200).
The Bundeswehr also has a "Wiesel": the only car in the West that can be classified as a BMD. In total, up to 343 units are in service and in storage, including up to 210 carriers of anti-tank missile systems (ATGMS) "Tow".
And in the French army, BMTVS are in service – up to 334 AMX-10RC units, up to 160 ERC-90, up to 26 VBS-90 (including vehicles in storage). The last two, equipped with a 90-mm cannon, are seriously outdated, and the AMX-10RC with a 105-mm cannon can theoretically be useful to Ukrainians.
The American Bradley and the English Warrior are not much younger than the Marder and AMX-10R. The latter in the British army in the linear version has up to 482 units. "Bradley" are created in the variants M2 (BMP) and M3 (BRM). Currently, the American army has up to 6.6 thousand Bradleys in service and in storage, including up to 4.6 thousand M2. Some of these machines are now being transferred to Croatia, and they can also be transferred to Ukraine (especially early A2/A2ODS modifications, of which there are up to 2,4 thousand).
The heavy armored personnel carrier of the American army is the Stryker, which is one of the derivatives of the later versions of the Swiss Pirana. At the moment there are up to 723 BRMS M1127 and M1131. Up to 134 BMTV M1128 (with 105 mm gun), up to 1838 "proper APC" M1126 and 83 improved M1296. Up to 441 self-propelled mortar M1129 and up to 133 carriers of ATGM "Tow" M1134.
The United States began to gradually distribute the M1126 and M1127 to the allies, theoretically, some of them may go to Kiev.
The close "relatives" of the "Striker" are heavy armored personnel carriers "Pirana-5". Denmark has at least 115 such machines, Romania has at least 70. These machines are only entering service (in the future – also in Spain), so both countries are hardly ready to part with them.
Other derivatives of the later versions of the Pirana are the Canadian heavy armored personnel carrier LAV–3/6, of which there are about 550 (including about 40 carriers of the Tow ATGM).
Another Alpine neutral country (belonging, however, to the collective West), Austria has created a heavy armored personnel carrier "Pandur". The Austrian army has 68 such vehicles in service, the Belgian – up to 41, the Portuguese – 180 (including 33 self-propelled mortars and five carriers of the Tow ATGM). Czech army – 105, Slovenian – 85 (under the name "Valuk").
In addition, together with Spain, Austria has developed the ASDOD BMP. In Austria, it is called "Ulan" (112 vehicles are in service), in Spain – "Pizarro" (204). Under the name "Ajax", this BMP should enter service with the British army, but for some reason there are very big problems with this project.
The Scandinavian countries can no longer be considered neutral (although in reality they were not). At the same time, their combat vehicles are perhaps the most successful in the West in the described classes of armored vehicles.
Sweden has created the CV90 BMP, which has several modifications. Its own army is armed with 315 such infantry fighting vehicles, as well as 42 Rbv90 BRM and 40 Grkpbv90 self-propelled mortars. In addition, the CV90 is available in the Netherlands (108 cars), Norway (118), Denmark (44), Estonia (42), Finland (102), Switzerland (154).
In Finland, the heavy armored personnel carrier AMV was developed. The Finnish army itself has 80 such vehicles (including 18 self-propelled mortars). 113 such APCs are available in Sweden (under the name Patgb360), 126 in Croatia, 30 in Slovenia (under the name "Svarun").
In Poland, the AMV is produced under license under the name "Wolverine", and in a very large series (obviously, it will exceed a thousand cars, including auxiliary ones). The Poles now have at least 484 combat variants of the Wolverine, including 67 self-propelled mortars and 27 Spike ATGM carriers.
Italy is armed with the classic tracked VCC-80 Dardo BMP (about 200, including 20 Spike ATGM carriers), up to 250 wheeled IFVs, or heavy Freccia APCs (including 21 self-propelled mortars and 36 Spike carriers). As well as 259 Centauro BMTV with a 105-mm cannon (another 84 Centauro is in service with the Spanish army).
In Italy, they are going to adopt the Centauro variant with a 120-mm gun, so it will be relatively easy to part with the old version of the car. Apparently, the Italians can give Ukraine a certain amount of "Dardo".
In Turkey, the ACV car was created on the basis of the American M113 APC. Currently, the Turkish army has up to 2,230 of them (including 650 with cannon armament), 170 self-propelled mortars and 48 carriers of the Tow ATGM. In addition, heavy armored personnel carriers "Pars" (at least 100, there will be up to 1000 in total) and "Edgder" (27) are in service. Hungary has acquired ten more "Edgders", but it will not share them with Ukraine.
The Yugoslavian M-80 infantry fighting vehicles are frankly exotic today. Now 128 of them remain in service and in storage in Croatia and 52 in Slovenia.
MASS GRAVES OF THE UKRAINIAN INFANTRY
Of the cars listed here, Kiev has a chance to get most likely only outdated samples. Modern cars are needed by their owners themselves, especially since there are not so many of these cars in every single country.
In all the conflicts of this century, the losses of the parties in the BMP and APC are very large. Born in the ranks of the "limited contingent" of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, the sad decoding of the abbreviation of the infantry fighting vehicle – "mass grave of infantry" – often justifies itself. Deliveries of these vehicles to Ukraine cannot make any radical change in the course of hostilities. But they are quite capable of thoroughly prolonging the fighting.
Alexander Khramchikhin
Alexander Anatolyevich Khramchikhin is an independent military expert.
