Canada has promised to send 39 armored combat support vehicles (ACSV) to Ukraine, to aid its defense against the Russian invasion.
This was revealed by Canadian defense minister Anita Anand during her visit to General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) Canada, the manufacturer of the vehicles.
The ACSV that will be sent to Ukraine is a new type of vehicle that is already being delivered to the Canadian armed forces.
Defense minister Anand said the 39 vehicles that will be supplied to Ukraine will be an addition to the 360 units already on order for the Canadian forces. The vehicles for Ukraine will start deliveries this summer, Anand added.
Canada is buying the new generation of ACSVs to replace the current fleets of M113 tracked light armored vehicle (TLAV) and the LAV II Bison vehicles currently in service.
Built at the GDLS Canada’s London, Ontario, facilities, these new vehicles are based on the company’s LAV 6.0 platform. They are designed to fulfill a variety of combat support roles such as that of troop/cargo vehicle (TCV), ambulance, command post, and mobile repair and recovery.
The vehicles are the latest in a series of military items Canada donated to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February this year. Canada first sent night vision gear, helmets, and body armor, before beginning deliveries of anti-armor weapons systems – Carl Gustav M2 recoilless rifles, and 2,000 rounds of 84 mm ammunition.
Later on, the country revealed it had transferred 4,500 M72 rocket launchers, up to 7,500 hand grenades, and a number of M777 howitzers to Ukraine. Canada also secured financial support, various ammunition and replacement barrels for M777 howitzers.
