Belgium to send armoured ambulances to Ukraine

Belgian arms manufacturer John Cockerill Defense will convert armoured vehicles into ambulances for Ukraine as part of the latest Belgian aid package.

In March, the federal government approved a new 412 million euro aid package for Ukraine. It involved three sub-packages, including the purchase of armoured ambulances to be modernised and transferred to Ukraine. The contract was granted to Walloon company John Cockerill Defense (JCD). 

JCD plans to transform dozens of tracked vehicles, type Bandvagn 206, into vehicles suitable for medical evacuations. Last year, the company refurbished dozens of armoured vehicles to send to the front as part of a previous aid package. These vehicles, some more than 40 years old, originally belonged to the Italian army.

The Bandvagn 206 is already in use in Ukraine and is popular for its broad deployability. They can carry up to 16 people at a time on just about any terrain. Neither the ministry of Defence nor JCD specified the origin of the vehicles.

^{The John Cockerill Defense site in Loncin | © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND}

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