Slovenia steps up: Secret arms delivery to Ukraine amid US delay
When the United States delayed the delivery of weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces due to a lack of funds, Slovenia did not wait – reports Slovenian portal 24UR. Ljubljana sent armoured combat vehicles to the front.
In the past, Slovenia has already provided Ukrainians with tonnes of valuable equipment. The list of military aid from Ljubljana to Kyiv primarily includes M-55S tanks and M-80A amphibious vehicles, and Zastava M55 anti-aircraft guns. Notably, the M-55S and M-80A sent to the front in 2022 were essentially a significant portion of what the Slovenian army had at the time.
The Adriatic nation isn't stopping. Recently, Slovenia provided weapons meant to be sent to combat secretly – without officially announcing the support. When there was an acute shortage of weapons and ammunition in Ukraine, and the US Senate delayed approving the aid package, Slovenia secretly sent a large batch of military equipment to Ukraine – claims 24UR based on its sources.
As part of the secret shipment, primarily armoured personnel carriers were supposed to reach Kyiv. The list of provided weapons includes 26 BOV vehicles and 3 units of M-80A.
Equipment from slovenia sent to ukraine recently
Ljubljana decided to send primarily BOV amphibious wheeled armoured personnel carriers to Kyiv. These are pretty rare constructions, as today they are used by Yugoslav countries, i.e., Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia.
The relatively low popularity of BOV vehicles is not due to unsatisfactory performance. On the contrary, the machine has performed well in many scenarios over the years, which led to the development of various versions of the BOV over time (e.g., BOV-1/POLO M-83, a tank destroyer equipped with 9M14 Malutka missiles).
The BOV is powered by a Deutz F6L413 diesel engine with almost 200 horsepower, which can accelerate this roughly 5,700-kilogram construction, carrying up to 10 crew members, to a speed of nearly 100 km/h. With a full fuel tank (265 litres), the BOV can cover up to 500 kilometres. Its primary armament is a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun, and the vehicle is additionally equipped with smoke grenade launchers.
Another set of vehicles sent to Ukraine, the M-80A, are tracked vehicles, in contrast to the BOV. These are also Yugoslav productions and are armed with a 30 mm M-86 autocannon, a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun, and a 9M14 Malutka anti-tank missile launcher.
Older versions of the M-80 were powered by an engine generating 350 horsepower, while later improved versions featured an engine with 420 horsepower. Consequently, the maximum speed of the M-80 increased to 65 km/h, while the range remained unchanged – 500 kilometres.
