To convert the promised Ukraine M1117s, will need another 18 months

It will take another 18 months to convert the 250 M1117 American armored vehicles promised to Ukraine.

This was announced by Colby Badhwar on X social media.

According to the published documents, given the urgent need to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine with armored vehicles, American officials expect a faster completion of the process of preparing armored vehicles.

The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment was instructed to give a briefing to the Defense Committees of the United States Congress no later than December 15, 2023 on the possibilities of speeding up the supply of M1117s.

During the briefing, acceleration capabilities will be considered, including maximizing the existing potential of the defense industrial base.

The application of expedited contracting approaches in accordance with existing powers is also on the agenda for consideration.

As previously reported, the United States announced the provision of M1117s to Ukraine back in November 2022.

Since then, 250 armored personnel carriers are being prepared for transfer. They are to be re-equipped with USAI funds, and then transferred under the Excess Defense Articles program.

M1117

M1117 Armored Security Vehicle is an armored vehicle designed and manufactured by Textron Marine & Land Systems.

It is based on the M706 Commando. In total, the company made about 3,500 such vehicles. The cost of one car is estimated at about 800 thousand dollars.

The vehicle is equipped with a similar remote weapon station to the AAV-P7, which is armed with an Mk 19 grenade launcher and a M2HB Browning machine gun. In addition, a M240H machine gun is installed near the shooter’s hatch.

M1117 has a weight of 13.41 tons, a length of 6 meters, and a width of 2.6 meters. The height of the vehicle reaches 2.6 meters.

The crew consists of 3 people. The 260 horsepower Cummins 6CTA8.3 engine provides a maximum speed of up to 101 kilometers per hour by road.

The armored vehicle is designed to overcome 700 kilometers at a speed of 64 kilometers per hour.

Its armor consists of a IBD combined modular armor, providing ballistic protection and anti-mine protection.

The armor plates of the body are installed at the corners, which allows the vehicle to repel shots from hand anti-tank grenade launchers.