France supplies Ukraine with ARQUUS Bastion 4x4 APC armored vehicles.

On January 4, 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced via his Twitter account that France will supply Bastion APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) vehicles to Ukraine.
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The Bastion is a 4x4 armored personnel carrier produced by the French company ARQUUS. (Picture source Army Recognition)

On October 3, 2022, the French newspaper "La Tribune" published news announcing that the French manufacturer ARQUUS will provide Ukraine with 20 Bastion armored vehicles; the contract is being finalized between the French manufacturer, owned by the Swedish group Volvo, and the French Ministry of Defense.

At the same, France also announced on January 4, 2023, the supply of AMX-10RC a light reconnaissance anti-tank armored vehicle. The AMX-10RC is armed with a 105 mm F2 semi-automatic gun with a vertical wedge breech block and a barrel with a thermal jacket and a two-stage muzzle brake. Using APFSDS (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) 105 F1 round, the AMX-10RC is able to destroy main battle tanks at a maximum firing range of 2,200 m.

France has already delivered different types of military equipment, weapons and combat vehicles to Ukraine including 18 CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzers, 15 TRF1 155mm towed howitzers, 60 VAB 4x4 armored personnel carrier vehicles, TRM 2000 trucks, GBC 180 6x6 cargo trucks and P4 Peugeot light tactical vehicles.

The Bastion APC is a 4×4 armored personnel carrier vehicle that was produced by French Company ACMAT, a subsidiary of ARQUUS formerly Renault Trucks Defense. It incorporates blast protection technology with the mobility of a light armored vehicle. The vehicle was unveiled in June 2010 during the defense exhibition in France, Eurosatory.

The Bastion APC is already in service with many countries all over the world including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Chad, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Kosovo, Mali, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sweden, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda and now Ukraine.

The design of the Bastion is conventional for a modern wheeled armored vehicle with the engine at the front, crew in the middle and troop's compartment at the rear. The front of the vehicle is fitted with one door on each side and the rear of the hull is equipped with two doors. The vehicle has a crew of two and can accommodate up to 8 infantrymen.

The roof of the Bastion APC can be fitted with a one-man open-top turret or a remotely operated weapon station which can be armed with a 7.62mm or a 12.7mm machine gun.

The Bastion APC is powered by a Diesel engine developing 215 hp coupled to a 6-speed mechanical or 5-speed automatic transmission. It can run at a maximum road speed of 110 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 1,000 km.