Canada to Purchase 8 More Armored Vehicles for Ukraine – Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand confirmed on Tuesday that Canada has finalized a new deal to send eight additional armored vehicles to Ukraine.
Writing on Twitter, Anand said the Canadian government would be working with Roshel, a Mississauga-based smart armored vehicles manufacturer, to supply Ukrainian forces with new state-of-the-art vehicles as soon as they can.
The statement followed a meeting with foreign defense ministers and military officials at Germany’s Ramstein Air Base. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was at the meeting and announced Canada’s latest commitment soon afterward.
Anand also committed Canada to provide high-tech drone cameras to Ukraine that are already being used in combat. A plan to assist in the maintenance and repair of existing cameras is also being formalized by the Canadian government, ensuring that Ukraine can fully utilize the hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles committed by the United States and NATO allies.
What is Roshel?
Roshel is a Canadian manufacturer of armored vehicles used for government use and military purposes. The company also provides armored vehicles used in the private sector.
“Our long-standing commitment to quality and innovation, both in our process and our products, makes Roshel a leader in today’s secured transportation vehicles industry,” the company says on its site.
Roshel is well established as a leader in the space, focusing on the development armored vehicles that adapt to modern security and technology challenges. It provides armored vehicles to the United States Department of State, NASA, the United States Department of Homeland Security, Canadian National Defence, United States Customs and Border Protection, and Gardaworld.
What Vehicles Will Be Sent?
Canadian officials did not specify what vehicles would be sent, but did confirm that the equipment will not be drawn from the Canadian Armed Forces inventory.
These eight new armored vehicles constitute the biggest shipment of heavy equipment from Canada to Ukraine since the invasion began and shows that NATO forces are becoming increasingly willing to provide heavy equipment and weaponry to Ukraine despite Russia’s continued threats.
While we don’t know what vehicles are being sent in the latest package, Canada did previously commit to sending Roshel Senator APCs to Ukraine. As part of a $500 million (CAD) package earlier this month, Ukraine was promised LAV 8X8 and Roshel Senator armored personnel carrier vehicles. Both kinds of armored vehicles were planned to be taken from Canada’s military arsenal.
The LAV 8×8 is also known as the Kodiak. It is a Canadian vehicle built by General Dynamics Land Systems that features a two-man turret, armed with a 25mm M242 automatic cannon, as well as two machine guns.
The Roshel Senator, meanwhile, is a vehicle first shown in 2018 that is fitted with bullet-resistant glass that can withstand several strikes, as well as a one-piece blast-resistant floor, several gun ports, and escape hatches.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
