Italian Puma 6x6 armoured vehicles secretly bolster Ukraine
For the first time, a photo of the Puma 6x6 armoured personnel carrier in service with the Ukrainian army was published on social media.
As noted by the Militarny portal, none of the countries possessing these types of vehicles have officially announced their delivery to Ukraine. Therefore, their origin and the number of such vehicles sent to the front by a mysterious donor remain unknown.
Puma 6x6 in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine
At the same time, the Ukrainian portal notes that the most likely supplier of the Puma 6x6 armoured personnel carriers is Italy. Besides them, such armoured vehicles are part of the army equipment in Pakistan, Libya, and Djibouti, countries considered "exotic" in the context of supporting Ukraine. This is especially true because, in the case of Libya and Djibouti, they are 4x4 drive variants.
The Italian direction is more realistic as the Puma 6x6 is a construction developed by the local Iveco-Oto Melara consortium (produced from 2004 to 2021).
Italian armoured personnel carrier on the front
Moreover, agreements between Rome and Kyiv are often not publicly announced, and Italian weapons have appeared on the front in secret several times. This was the case with the M109L self-propelled howitzers, B1 Centauro tank destroyers, and Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
The Puma 6x6 armoured personnel carrier measures a little over 5 metres in length and weighs around 8,200 kilograms. It is supposed to be operated by a two-person crew - a driver and a gunner. In addition to them, it can carry up to four additional soldiers in the rear compartment. It is powered by an engine with 180 HP (paired with a 5-speed automatic transmission), allowing the driver to accelerate the vehicle to about 100 km/h. The armament includes either a 7.62 mm or a 12.7 mm machine gun.
The Militarny portal points out that the Puma 6x6 is a versatile enough construction to serve the Ukrainian army in various tasks - from reconnaissance and personnel transport to combat with lightly armoured Russian vehicles.
