Slovenian military aid to Ukraine: Old tech, new alliances
The military aid provided to Ukraine includes well-known equipment such as Leopard 2 tanks and M113 carriers and lesser-known vehicles manufactured locally by some countries for their own use. This category features BOV-3 anti-aircraft systems, donated to Ukraine by Slovenia and originally produced in a country that no longer exists, having dissolved over 30 years ago.
Despite the Slovenian army comprising just 6,200 soldiers, the country consistently supports Ukraine with arms shipments. Slovenia can technically modernise its armed forces through agreements with Germany, among others.
Old equipment from the Cold War era is being transferred to Ukraine, with Ljubljana receiving more modern weaponry in return, including from Germany. As a result, Ukraine has received items such as M-55S tanks (a variant of the T-55), M-80A infantry fighting vehicles (a blend of local technology and the French AMX-10P), and old M2A1 howitzers.
The equipment delivered to Ukraine also included BOV armoured carriers, which have been produced in Yugoslavia since the mid-1980s and were used by the armies of countries formed after its dissolution.
BOV-3 anti-aircraft system
The latest batch of Slovenian aid for Ukraine includes, among other items, the anti-aircraft variant of these vehicles, namely six BOV-3 systems. They are built on a four-wheeled BOV chassis, measuring approximately 6 metres long and weighing over nine metric tonnes.
A large turret, open at the top, is mounted on the wheeled chassis, which houses the M55 A4 M1 cannon. This is a version of the Zastava M55 cannon, of which an unspecified number have also been transferred to the Ukrainian armed forces. The M55 A4 M1 model has three 20-millimetre calibre barrels powered by 60-round drum magazines. The maximum barrel elevation angle is 83 degrees.
The cannon is equipped with a Galileo J171 ballistic computer, which allows it to engage aerial targets at distances of 1 to 2 kilometres.
