Is France giving Ukraine scrap metal? Kovalenko assessed the "betrayal" on the network through VAB APC

Recently, France announced its intention to transfer a batch of VAB armored personnel carriers to the Ukrainian army. After that, there was a wave of outrage online, saying that Ukraine would actually receive scrap metal that France wants to get rid of.

According to military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko, VAB armored personnel carriers are indeed considered outdated, but they can be of great use on the battlefield. He wrote about this in his Telegram.

Kovalenko noted that the narrative about the "transfer of scrap metal" began to spread among Russian platforms, and then it was dragged into the Ukrainian information space. The analyst explained that mass production of the VAB armored personnel carrier began in 1976.

He also noted that the functionality of this armored personnel carrier is comparable to the Soviet BRDM-2. At the same time, the VAB is inferior to the BRDM-2 only in firepower, namely 12.7-mm M2 HB Browning versus 14.5-mm Volodymyrov tank heavy machine gun. At the same time, Kovalenko emphasized that Browning's accuracy and efficiency are much higher.

Other tactical and technical characteristics of the VAB exceed those of the BRDM-2. These include highway speed, engine power, overcoming water obstacles, highway range, and other indicators.

Kovalenko noted that under current conditions, VAB APCs will require additional protection, such as anti-cumulative grilles and other equipment. He also noted that France has more than 2,500 of these armored personnel carriers in service and in storage.

As a reminder, France has announced the transfer of decommissioned weapons to Ukraine. Instead of being disposed of, it will help the Ukrainian army defend itself against Ukraine's full-scale armed aggression.

Earlier it was reported that France announced the preparation of a new military aid package for Ukraine. It will include hundreds of armored vehicles and Aster anti-aircraft missiles for SAMP/T air defense systems.

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