Ukrainian commander says France's light tanks are inadequate

 

French AMX-10 RC Tanks. AFP.

An Ukrainian commander says French AMX-10 RC light tanks are inadequate for battlefield conditions. Euronews/AFP. The commander said that the tanks had powerful weapons and good observation capabilities but were easily destroyed by Russian artillery. The commander explained an incident where a Russian 152mm artillery shell exploded near one of the light tanks and shrapnel penetrated the weapon rack, causing an explosion that killed the entire four man crew. The tanks also have gearbox problems. The commander said that American and Canadian vehicles had better survivability. 

My Comment:

I believe I said when these tanks were sent to Ukraine in the first place it would not work out well for them. The AMX-10 RC isn't designed for heavy combat but that is exactly what they were going to be used for in Ukraine. And with Russia having a major advantage in artillery and air power it was clear from the start that these tanks were going to be destroyed easily. 

What is surprising is how low the survivability is and how badly the tanks are preforming in Ukrainian conditions. If the commander is right and these tanks are blowing up catastrophically that's an even worse performance than most western weapons have gotten in Ukraine. Though the performance of Leopard Tanks and Bradly Fighting Vehicles has not been good, at least they tend to save their crews when they get hit. Not so for the AMX-10 RC's

Part of it might be the Ukrainians using the tanks in a role they aren't suited for. These aren't main battle tanks to say the least. They are supposed to be in either a reconnaissance or support role, not on the front lines directly engaging enemy vehicles and being hit by artillery. 

Of course that doesn't excuse the maintenance and performance problems with the tanks. The commander didn't elaborate much other than the gearboxes going bad, presumably from all the dust from dirt roads. You would have thought that the French would have been able to iron out that problems. After all, the AMX-10 is 40 years old and has had several combat deployments including the 1st Gulf War, Afghanistan and the various colonial wars in Africa. 

I think this is another example of how the various wunderwaffen the west has sent Ukraine has largely not worked out. Much of our equipment was not meant for high intensity warfare, it was for a counter insurgency role. And the weapons that are meant for that role? They are still taking heavy casualties in a modern military environment.