A video shows the ability of the VAMTAC to protect its occupants

The Russian Naval Infantry shows attacks on two Spanish VAMTACs used by Ukraine

Esp 12·18·2024 · 21:41 0

On November 22, we saw here the first images of the Spanish VAMTAC ST5 tactical vehicles used by Ukraine.

Ukraine shows its Spanish VAMTACs and New Zealand buys this military vehicle
Inside UROVESA, the company that makes the VAMTACs of the Spanish Armed Forces

These vehicles were donated by Spain a few months ago, being a batch of new vehicles manufactured by Urovesa in its factory in Valga, Galicia. The Spanish Ministry of Defense did not indicate how many or how many variants of this vehicle were donated to Ukraine, as part of a policy of giving very few details about Spanish military aid to that country. The images released by Ukraine in November showed several VAMTAC ST5 Alakrán, a mortar-carrying version of the Spanish military vehicle, but we can now confirm that the Ukrainian Army has also received other versions.

On December 5, a Russian Naval Infantry Telegram channel posted a video showing, at the end, an FPV drone attack on a Ukrainian VAMTAC ST5. A Serbian Twitter channel shared the video the next day. The attack on the VAMTAC appears at 2:06 in the video, towards the end. I have not found information about where this footage was shot, but according to several sources, this Russian marine unit operates in Ukraine’s partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region.

In this case we see a VAMTAC ST5 with a 12.7 mm Browning M-2 machine gun mounted in a remote-controlled turret. The vehicle is stationary and there are no signs indicating that it is occupied. The VAMTAC is decorated with a yellow Greek cross, a symbol used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (usually in white) to distinguish their vehicles.

In this case, the Russian drone targets the front of the VAMTAC, just above the right front wheel, possibly in an attempt to damage the most vulnerable parts of the vehicle, which are the wheels, or disable its engine. This first video does not show the result of the attack, so there is no data that allows us to assess the condition in which this vehicle was left.

On Sunday, December 15, the aforementioned Russian Naval Infantry Telegram channel posted another video showing a new FPV drone attack on a VAMTAC ST5. The same Serbian Twitter account that posted the first video also echoed the second on Sunday afternoon, noting that the attack had taken place south of the Donetsk region. At 0:20 in the video, we can see this attack:

In this case, the vehicle is attacked while it was driving on a dirt road. In this capture we see the drone approaching the VAMTAC ST5 from its left:

This time, the FPV drone hit the left rear door, judging by the video released by the Russian marines:

In the following sequence we see the same VAMTAC ST5 stopped with its doors open. The vehicle has a flat front left wheel, but curiously no damage can be seen on the bodywork despite the impact of the FPV drone (you can enlarge the image by clicking on it). The Ukrainian soldiers probably abandoned the vehicle in a hurry when it was no longer usable for further movement (that's why they left the doors open), knowing that a new attack could come with another drone.

This image gives us a better look at the vehicle. The remote-controlled turret is covered with a cover. Based on the size, I'd guess there's a 40mm LAG-40 automatic grenade launcher underneath, but the ammo belt is very small and looks more like a Browning M-2. There are shrapnel marks on the ammo box. The front left wheel is blown out, but the bodywork is in good condition. The FPV drone moves towards the vehicle.

One of the last images transmitted by the Russian drone before it exploded. We see that some instruments inside the vehicle have been blown, but the most significant thing is what we do not see: the crew is missing and there are no blood stains inside the vehicle. This allows us to draw a conclusion in favour of this vehicle model: the VAMTAC has managed to protect its occupants thanks to its armour.

Finally, the Russian drone explodes inside the VAMTAC, causing a powerful explosion.

Finally, the VAMTAC appears engulfed in a cloud of smoke, but the visible part of the vehicle shows no signs of destruction. The interior was probably badly damaged, but the VAMTAC's armor has proven its worth. Perhaps that is why the Russian marines did not publish images of the result of their first attack on the other VAMTACA we saw above.

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