They were supposed to be for armed reconnaissance, but as Operation Desert Storm commenced, the
French AMX-10 RC, also known as Roues-Canon, found itself in front of a storm.
Leading the charge at over 80 kilometers per hour, the armored fighting vehicles unleashed
their coaxial 7.62-millimeter guns to swiftly eliminate approaching enemy fighters, while
their powerful 105-millimeter cannons dispatched tanks from 2,000 meters away.
By the time the first wave of assault concluded, 20 Iraqi vehicles were destroyed, and over
3,000 enemies had surrendered.
Remarkably, no AMX-10 had received a single scratch.
And now, perhaps even more remarkably, these massive French guns have just been spotted
on the frontlines in Ukraine…
The AMX-10 RC has proven to be a reliable vehicle, even after 40 years of service.
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Development During the postwar, the French Army introduced
the Panhard EBR or Engin Blindé de Reconnaissance, an armored reconnaissance vehicle for use
in French colonies and a possible USSR offensive in Western Germany.
Over 1,200 Panhards were produced and used between 1950 and the late 1960s when the vehicle
began to show its age.
Consequently, the French Army sought a replacement in 1970.
Preliminary studies for a replacement began at the AMX or Ateliers de Construction d’Issy-les-Moulineaux.
The result of the ongoing tests was the development of the AMX-10 platform, whose purpose was
to be used not just to replace the Panhard but also for the AMX-VCI light tank.
The initial prototypes of both replacements began in the mid-1970s.
The wheeled vehicle was designated AMX-10 Roues-Canon or RC, meaning wheeled gun.
The AMX-10 RC was introduced in 1981 and considered a char or tank under French military standards.
The first French unit to receive the vehicles was the Second Regiment de Hussards in Sourdun.
The AMX-10 RC had a length of 30 feet, a width of nine feet, and a height of eight feet.
It had a mass of 16 tons.
Design Years of meticulous study led to an innovative
6x6 wheeled vehicle with hydropneumatic suspension, allowing the AMX-10 RC to traverse rough terrain
relatively easily.
The driver could change the ground clearance between 20 and 60 centimeters.
The suspension could also be used to tilt the vehicle forward, backward, or to the side
to bolster its versatility in different types of landscapes.
The AMX-10 RC was skid steered and lacked a steering wheel.
It operated similarly to a tank and could perform pivot turns.
The first batch of the 6x6 wheeled vehicle was powered by the Hispano-Suiza HS 115-2,
multi-fuel, liquid-cooled, supercharged V8 engine, providing over 250 horsepower, but
was upgraded in 1985 with the Baudouin 6F11 SRX supercharged diesel engine with 300 horsepower.
The AMX-10 RC could reach a maximum speed of over 80 kilometers per hour on and 40 kilometers
off-road.
It had an operational range of 800 kilometers.
Two water jets mounted on the rear side of the hull were used for water propulsion, making
the vehicle amphibious.
The AMX-10 RC could traverse bodies of water with an average speed of 7.2 kilometers per
hour.
Regarding armament, the vehicle was equipped with a 105/47 F2 MECA 105-millimeter gun.
The turret was made of welded aluminum.
The vehicle was armed with a 7.62-millimeter machine gun and two electrically operated
smoke grenade launchers.
The standard arsenal included 4000 machine gun rounds, 38 gun rounds, and 16 smoke grenade
launchers.
Combat Operations The powerful F2 rifled gun can fire High-Explosive
Anti-Tank rounds, Armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot ammunition, and smoke rounds.
The crew comprises four men: driver, commander, gunner, and loader.
Both driver and commander have access to several periscopes and telescopes.
In the early 1990s, the French military decided to modernize the AMX-10 RC by improving its
armor, gun, and electronics, but the program did not take off until the early 2000s.
The result was the AMX-10 RCR Renové.
It encompassed the SIT-VI battlefield management system, the LIRE infrared missile jammer,
thermal cameras for the commander and gunner, an armor package for increased protection,
and an upgraded gun.
The upgrade led to increased weight and eliminated the vehicle’s amphibious nature, leading
to the removal of the water jets.
The entire AMX-10 RCR fleet was finalized in 2010.
Since its introduction, the AMX-10 RC has featured several variants.
The first was the RP, an APC or armored personnel carrier of the AMX-10 RC that could house
eight men.
The RTT was also an APC prototype fitted with a 25-millimeter cannon but was never mass-produced.
AMX also experimented with an AA variant with two 30-millimeter autocannons but failed to
attract attention from customers.
Other variants employed different turrets with different machine guns and launchers
but never went beyond a testing phase.
One of the first combat deployments of the AMX-10 RC was the 1983 French military intervention
in Chad as part of Operation Manta.
Others later participated in United Nations operations in Kosovo.
The highlight of the AMX-10´s career was Operation Desert Storm, where 96 of the French
vehicles were deployed.
They engaged the Iraqi 45th Infantry Division before capturing As-Salman airfield.
During the engagement, the AMX-10s surrendered over 3,000 enemy soldiers, with over 20 vehicles
destroyed at the cost of zero losses.
Following American intervention in the Middle East, some AMX-10s were deployed to Afghanistan
with French infantry units but rarely saw action.
Bound for Ukraine On January 14, 2023, the French Ministry of
Defense Sébastien Lecornu announced his country would prepare the delivery of a batch of AMX-10RC
vehicles to the Ukrainian military.
The ministry specified the order would take place within two months at the very least.
Unlike the French, who had been employing the wheeled vehicle as an armored reconnaissance
platform since the 1980s, Ukraine will use the AMX-10 RC as an anti-tank system in the
frontlines of Eastern Europe.
Although this may appear to go against the nature of the platform, given its light armor,
the powerful 105-millimeter main gun of the AMX-10 RC is more than capable of destroying
a heavily armored vehicle.
It carries a gun of similar capabilities to those mounted on the successful German Leopard
1 main battle tank.
With the effective use of HEAT high-explosive rounds and armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding
sabot rounds, the AMX-10 RC can rain havoc on Russian armored columns.
Some sources have pointed out the Ukrainian military will receive the improved 10RCR variant
with enhanced armor and a fire control system to bolster the survivability of the four-man
crews.
Do Not Call It A Tank In March 2023, multiple videos of Ukrainian
military personnel inspecting several AMX-10RC vehicles emerged.
Some footage was published on Twitter by user Naalsio26, an independent military analyst
who has been closely monitoring the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The clips show Ukrainian troops inspecting the wheeled vehicle and taking pictures aboard
it.
Other videos focus on the reconnaissance vehicle during trials.
Although the delivery of the AMX-10RCR has bolstered Ukrainian morale, it has resulted
in some controversy regarding how Ukraine and France have marketed the introduction
of the vehicle to the ongoing war in Eastern Europe.
For instance, some media outlets, including government agencies, have marketed the AMX-10RCR
as a light tank when it is, in fact, a wheeled vehicle.
Indeed, the French military has officially designated the AMX-10RCR as a “Char” or
light tank in the past century.
Nevertheless, the acronym “RC” stands for “Rouses-canon,” which literally means
“wheeled gun.”
Other specialists have also noted the AMX-10RCR is a wheeled, and not a tracked vehicle, with
light armor that, despite its latest upgrade, only provides protection against small-arms
fire and light explosives.
Whichever the case, the delivery of these French vehicles to Ukraine accelerated the
American and German decision to provide the Eastern European country with M2 Bradley and
Marder infantry vehicles and Leopard 2 tanks.
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