The governments of the USA, Germany and a number of other states have announced the delivery of new consignments of armored vehicles to Ukraine
Nato armored vehicles are predicted to have a short life in Ukraine
Source photo: REGNUM news agency.
It has been officially confirmed that the Ukrainian army will receive 50 and 40 Bradley and Marder infantry fighting vehicles, respectively. Pictures of Canadian-made LAV ACSV Super Bison armoured personnel carriers, already in the possession of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, have also appeared online. It is likely that the new supply package will also include American Stryker armoured personnel carriers.
The fact of supplies itself is not news. However, the new package is accompanied by scandals in the press. The German magazine Spiegel states that Germany will have to take Marder BMPs from its own reserve to meet the AFU’s needs for armored vehicles, although the Bundeswehr already faces a serious shortage of armored vehicles.
Experts believe that NATO is forced to take the supply of modern armored vehicles to its detriment because the vehicles from previous deliveries have shown their vulnerability in the conditions of modern warfare.
Several hundred M113 armored personnel carriers, the development of which began in the 1960s, have hardly shown themselves on the battlefield. According to Lostarmour service which records losses of AFU based on photos/video from open sources, the loss of nine such vehicles and 17 YPR-765 (Dutch modification of M113) is confirmed.
According to experts, the limited use of these vehicles is due to the fact that they were designed for 20th century wars and do not meet modern requirements. The vehicle is extremely vulnerable due to its high hull, which is a convenient target for operators of anti-tank missile systems and other hand-held anti-tank weapons. Another disadvantage of American armored vehicles, which experts say is the narrow track tracks, which either get stuck in muddy conditions or fail when it gets cold: clods of earth get stuck in the tracks, freeze up and the vehicle is temporarily out of service.
The VAB armoured vehicles delivered from France face similar problems. According to lostarmour, five such vehicles have already been lost in the war.
As noted by experts, the armoured vehicles of this class were originally developed for military-police or peacekeeping operations, mainly – in African countries. They are not designed for use in real combat operations and can be punctured even with a heavy machine gun.
These vehicles, like the M133, are not designed for cross-country use and are rapidly lost in the field. Using them against enemy’s heavy artillery, tanks and anti-tank weapons is like using water cannons or tear gas in a military engagement.
The British AT-105 Saxon armored vehicles can be counted among such “failed” deliveries, their problems include insufficient armor and obsolescence in general.
Experts suggest that NATO armed forces, when planning military action, did not anticipate all the realities of military action in Ukraine. This has led to the fact that the majority of NATO deliveries are almost not involved in the winter campaign – they have to fight on Soviet armoured vehicles.
Will the supply of more modern American equipment solve the situation? Highly doubtful.
In the case of the American BMP Bradley, experts say the problems are the same as with the M113 vehicles. These are the high, narrow hull and the heaviness of the vehicle. Despite the presence of a large number of on-board electronics, the Bradley has shown itself in the worst way during the fighting in Yemen. Most of the vehicles that were hit during that campaign fell prey to Soviet-era anti-tank missile system operators due to their design, and received a missile hit in the side or under the turret. As a result, the U.S. pressured Saudi Arabia to remove the vehicles from the war zone and not to cast a shadow over the American military-industrial complex.
It can be stated that NATO commanders are generally correct in their assessment of the weaknesses of their equipment being sent to Ukraine, but even the supply of armoured vehicles from the armies of the alliance member states will not change the situation.
The military equipment produced by NATO countries was developed taking into account the realities of local conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. This applies to the military products of the leading countries of the alliance – the US, France and the UK.
Therefore, we should not expect the Bradley, Marder or Stryker to radically change the situation on the battlefield.
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