The AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles, sometimes referred to as light tanks, are "impractical" for frontline assaults, says one Ukrainian commander. He added that a four-person crew has already been lost due to their thin armor.
A battalion commander in the 37th Marine Infantry Brigade, known by the call sign "Spartan," told AFP that the "thin armor" of the combat vehicles means they can be used for fire support but not in frontline attacks.
"Unfortunately, there was one incident where a crew died inside the vehicle. During an artillery bombardment, a shell exploded near the vehicle, shrapnel penetrated the armor and detonated the ammunition supply. The four-person crew inside was killed," he explained.
According to Wp.pl, he added that the French AMX-10 also had issues with gearboxes breaking down, likely due to their use on dirt roads.
The open-source intelligence site Oryx, which records equipment losses based on battlefield images, has counted three lost AMX-10 RC light tanks in Ukraine.
"Spartan" mentioned that his soldiers gain experience with the vehicles during a month-long training session in France, adding, however, that this duration is not sufficient to fully master their tactical use.
According to the French Ministry of Defense, the AMX-10s provide protection against light infantry fire. They were developed in the 1970s, and the French armed forces have begun replacing them with more modern vehicles named Jaguar, AFP reports.
The battalion commander compared the French vehicles with American-made Oshkosh M-ATVs and British Huskies and found that these are significantly more resilient to battlefield fire.
