Italy’s Ministry of Defense, led by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, has prepared the 11th military aid package for Ukraine, with a key focus on tracked APCs of the M113 type, more specifically, the Italian variant known as the VCC-2 Camilino.
According to Il Messaggero, in addition to the APCs, the package also includes a satellite surveillance system to assist Ukraine with operational planning, though no further details about this system have been disclosed.
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The VCC-2 Camilino is an Italian upgrade of the M113A1, featuring additional side armor and an open-top turret. Open sources suggest that up to 1,200 M113s may have been upgraded to this version for the Italian Army. These vehicles have long since been retired, with the last dozen withdrawn from service around four years ago.
It is unlikely, however, that all 400 vehicles Italy intends to transfer will be in combat-ready condition. Some are expected to be used for spare parts, while others may require extensive refurbishment.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces already have experience operating the VCC-2, which appeared in service with the National Police in 2024. More broadly, Ukraine currently fields hundreds of M113-series APCs in various configurations across its military.
An interesting detail concerns the remaining number of VCC-2 Camilino vehicles in Italy’s inventory. In 2022, Italian media reported that around 722 of these APCs had been scrapped, netting the government roughly €3 million. If Italy had originally modernized 1,200 units, this would suggest that about 478 were left in storage. That means Italy is now effectively transferring all remaining VCC-2s to Ukraine.
Previously, Defense Express reported that Italy had once fielded the SIDAM self-propelled anti-aircraft system based on the M113 chassis, but eventually converted them back into APCs and sent them to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
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