AMX-10 RC

This article is about the French wheeled tank destroyer. For the French tracked amphibious IFV, see AMX-10P.

AMX-10 RC
A French Army AMX 10 RCR after the 2021 Bastille Day Parade
Type
Place of originFrance
Service history
In service1981–present
Wars
Production history
Designed1970
No. built464
Specifications
Mass
Length
  • 9.15 m (30 ft 0 in) (gun forward)
  • 6.24 m (20 ft 6 in) (hull only)
Width2.78 m (9 ft 1 in)
Height2.56 m (8 ft 5 in)
Crew4
Armor
  • Frontal armour resistant against 23 mm API from 300 m
  • 14.5 mm AP all-around with add-on armor
Main
armament
105 mm F2 BK MECA L/47 medium-pressure gun (38 rounds)
Secondary
armament
  • 1 × 7.62 mm NF1 coaxial machine gun (4,000 cartridges)
  • 1 × 12.7 mm M2HB AA machine gun (optional)
  • 4 × GALIX smoke dischargers
Engine

  • HS-115: 186 kW (249 hp) at 3,200 rpm
  • 6F11: 209 kW (280 hp) at 3,000 rpm
Power/weightfrom 11.8 kW/tonne
Suspensionvariable hydropneumatic
Operational
range
800 km (500 mi) on road
Maximum speed
  • 85 km/h (53 mph) on road
  • 40 km/h (25 mph) off-road

The AMX-10 RC is a French armoured fighting vehicle manufactured by Nexter Systems for armoured reconnaissance purposes. Equipping French cavalry units since 1981, over 240 remained in service with the French Army in 2021. 108 units were sold to Morocco and 12 to Qatar. "RC" stands for "Roues-Canon", meaning "wheeled gun". English language newspapers have often incorrectly referred to it as a light tank,[1][2] a mistranslation of the French term "char", which refers to a wider category of armoured fighting vehicles than the English word "tank".[3]

The AMX-10 RC is distinct from the amphibious AMX-10P: they share automotive components, but have completely different battlefield roles. The AMX-10 RC is usually used for reconnaissance missions in dangerous environments or for fire support.

Since 2021, France has been gradually replacing it with the EBRC Jaguar.[4]

  1. ^ "French AMX-10 RC: Looks like a tank, but is not a tank. Why it could still be useful for Ukraine? - Technology Org". www.technology.org. 3 September 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  2. ^ Korshak, Stefan. "EXPLAINED: France's AMX-10 RC – Not Bad, Though not Really a Tank". KyivPost. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Defence key figures - 2021" (PDF). December 2021.
  4. ^ "Scorpion: Commande des premiers véhicules blindés Griffon et Jaguar" (in French). French Defense Ministry. 27 June 2017. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023 – via Milinfo.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Search archive page for "27 juin 2017" or "AMX".