Canadian Army to possibly scrap dozens of M113 APCs despite refurbishing proposal from Armatec Survivability.

As reported by Murray Brewster on CBC News, the Canadian Army plans to retire dozens of old M113 Tracked Light Armoured Vehicles (TLAVs) troop carriers this year. Despite an offer from Armatec Survivability, a private company, to refurbish these vehicles for use in Ukraine, the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) intends to dispose of them.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

Canadian M113A1 fitted with a dozer blade in action at Camp Wainwright during U.S./Canadian NATO exercise Rendezvous 83 (Picture source: US NARA/Specialist 5 Vince E. Warne)

Of the 140 M113 TLAVs in the Canadian army fleet, 67 are parked for demilitarization or spare parts, as they are in poor condition. The DND plans to replace them with new Armoured Combat Support Vehicles (ACSVs) over the next few years. Armatec Survivability, based in Ontario, has proposed updating these surplus armored vehicles, but no decision has been made.

Canada has already donated tanks, ACSVs, and armored vehicles worth $1.8 billion to Ukraine. Ty Curran, deputy director general of international security at the DND, mentioned that Armatec's proposal is one of several offers received since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to the DND, out of the 73 operational TLAVs, 30 are held in reserve at military depots, in addition to the 67 that are considered surplus and set for disposal. Canada considers multiple factors before donating equipment to Ukraine, ensuring it meets specific Ukrainian needs and can be maintained effectively.

Ukraine is already familiar with operating and maintaining the M113, having received over 560 of these troop carriers from various countries. The United States and Australia are also interested in partnering with Canada in the Armatec project to donate surplus vehicles to Ukraine.

The Canadian federal government has allocated up to $500 million for military hardware donations to Ukraine in the current budget year, which could potentially fund the Armatec project.

Defense News September 2023