Benelux countries to provide Ukraine with M113 armoured personnel carriers to strengthen Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg are planning to provide Ukraine with M113 armoured personnel carriers shortly, which is needed for the counteroffensive.
The new military aid was announced at the 14th meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine’s Defense.
It is reported that the armoured personnel carriers will be purchased from the industry and repaired. Along with the vehicles, Ukraine will also receive the necessary spare parts.
The number of armoured personnel carriers and the timing of their transfer to Ukraine are traditionally not disclosed. Still, it is indicated that this will happen “over the next few months.”
“With this donation, we show that we continue to support Ukraine against Russian aggression,” said the Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder, the Dutch Defense Minister Kees Ollongren and the Luxembourg Defense Minister Francois Bausch in a joint statement.
“By joining our efforts, we are responding to the request of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for further deployment of armoured vehicles,” the ministers added.
The M113 is a vehicle used by armies around the world to move infantrymen on the battlefield from one point to another. These armoured personnel carriers are equipped with a remote-controlled weapon system. Machine guns can also be installed on the vehicles.
The M113 armoured personnel carrier can be fitted with many weapon systems. The most common weapon fit is a single .50 calibre M2 machine gun.
The M113 is built of 5083 aircraft-quality aluminium alloy, which is lighter than steel but requires around three times the thickness for an equivalent level of ballistic protection, meaning the armour of the M113 was only created for 7.62 mm and shell fragment protection.
Ukraine has received dozens of M113 armoured personnel carriers from other international partners, including Lithuania and Spain.
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