At the beginning of 2023, it became known that France planned to supply Ukraine with AMX-10RC vehicles as part of its defense assistance. In March of the same year, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that these vehicles had already been dispatched to Ukraine, with some even arriving at the front lines.
Our Defense Forces have been operating these vehicles on the battlefield for over a year and a half. Recently, "Army TV" aired a segment where they spoke with the crew of one of these vehicles about its operational features.
The main advantage of the AMX-10RC is its speed and maneuverability, as noted by military personnel. "We arrived quickly, worked our position, and left, hiding," remarks the vehicle commander with the call sign "Rapira."
The video captured a moment when the "Army TV" crew and the vehicle's crew had to vacate their position swiftly due to an attack by a Russian occupation army FPV drone.
According to the military personnel, the rate of fire for the AMX-10RC depends on the loader, but generally, it takes about 6 seconds per shot, and in 60-70 seconds, they can fire up to 11-12 rounds.
The primary targets for this vehicle include enemy infantry and lightly armored vehicles. "If you need to engage a large number of advancing infantry quickly, it can be done."
The military emphasizes that the AMX-10RC is quite accurate, especially when fire is adjusted using reconnaissance drones. "I've been working with this tank since the beginning of my service. It's a very good machine that delivers excellent results in terms of damage."
On the battlefield, the AMX-10RC is used by our forces for firing from concealed positions, utilizing additional equipment for this purpose. The military mentions that the French themselves do not use this vehicle in the same manner, as they have the CAESAR self-propelled howitzer for such tasks.
It's important to remember that when our military received these French vehicles, it was immediately clear that in the modern battlefield context, characterized by the prevalence of drones, the AMX-10RC, with its thin armor, is not suitable for offensive operations, and it is primarily a reconnaissance armored vehicle with its own unique features.