Ukraine will procure 100 Rosomak combat vehicles from Poland to reinforce its armored battalions fighting against russian invasion. The announcement was made on an official level, however, there are not many details, especially what variant of the vehicle is bought. And the question is rather interesting, because there are quite a few versions to choose from.
As a reminder, the Rosomak is a licensed analog of the Finnish Patria, and the definition of this type of equipment is Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV). It means the type of module installed on the base version will determine its function, set of features and armament.
Read more: Ukraine Will Buy 100 Modern Armored Personnel Carriers
In contrast to the rather vague boundary between a BTR armored personnel carrier (APC) and a BMP infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in the Soviet arms tradition, the difference between these two kinds of equipment is clearly defined in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.
The main factor is the main gun caliber: APC is a vehicle for transportation of troops with a less than 20mm cannon, whereas the IFV serves roughly the same purpose but can also fire ammunition larger than 20mm and sometimes anti-tank missiles.
Back to the Polish Rosomak, the manufacturer's website says the base version without a combat module is named Armored Modular Vehicle. The variant fitted with a HITFIST turret carrying a 30mm BUSHMASTER Mk44 machine gun is already an IFV.
This variant is present in the most quantity among the others. The Military Balance handbook states there are 350 HITFIST-Rosomaks in service with the Polish military.
The second most widespread are the Rosomak M2 and M3 versions armed with machine guns of calibers 7.62 or 12.7mm respectively. These ones are APCs, according to the criteria. The Polish Army has around 300 of both types combined.
On a side note, Poland also intends to equip their Rosomak vehicles with a combat module of its own making, the ZSSW-30 which is equipped with a 30mm autocannon, UKM-2000 machine gun and Israeli Spike anti-tank missiles, as in the video below:
Also, Rosomak offers M1 and M1M versions with a 30mm gun adjusted specially for the ISAF mission in Afghanistan as well as several other kinds: a reconnaissance vehicle, a mortar, an ambulance etc.
In fact, it doesn't even matter that much, what type of vehicle Ukraine will receive – as long as the supply comes directly from the stocks of the Polish Armed Forces, and the Ukrainian funds are used to buy replenishment. This scheme would speed up the transfer. Although it is unclear whether Poland would agree to that because the country has already significantly exhausted its armor arsenal by sending tanks and IFVs to Ukraine.
Though even if Poland disagrees, the brand-new Rosomaks would become a prospective asset for assuring Ukraine's security in the future.
Read more: One of the NATO Countries is Ready to Give the Poles a Eurofighter instead of the MiG-29 for Ukraine, But They Are Not Satisfied with This
