Setback for Ukraine: Oncilla transporter destroyed

They performed admirably on the battlefield and saved lives - this is how representatives of the Ukrainian Armed Forces characterized the Oncilla armored vehicles as more of them entered service. Recent footage, however, sadly shows that while these vehicles are robust, they are not invincible.

On October 31, online reports and video footage confirmed the destruction of an Oncilla armored vehicle – one of thirty such vehicles donated by Poland to the Ukrainian army. The incident occurred following the detonation of an anti-tank mine. Ukrainian sources, however, reported that all soldiers in the vehicle survived the explosion.

The Oncilla is a type of armored vehicle manufactured by the Mista company from Stalowa Wola, Poland. Although it did not see much service in Poland, it has proven highly beneficial to Ukraine. It is a modernized version of the Ukrainian Dozor-B, upgraded to meet NATO standards.

This 4x4 vehicle can hold a three-person crew and six airborne soldiers. In its base configuration, the Oncilla provides level 2 resistance to fire, adhering to the STANAG 4569 standard. The armored carrier also comes equipped with a remotely controlled module featuring NSVT machine guns of 0.50 (12.7 mm) caliber, along with thermal cameras.

These vehicles offer critical support to Ukrainian defenders. Thankfully, repairing them should not prove challenging. Routine repairs are handled by service teams from the Beryl Design Bureau, even up at the front lines. More severe damages also pose no issue. Engineers planned for this eventuality, designing the vehicle for easy repair to give it a "second life". Damaged Oncillas are shipped to the Mista factory in Poland, where all spare parts, components, and subsystems stand ready for assembly.

Polish factories are working at full capacity to send additional vehicles to Ukraine. They also stand ready to receive and repair any damaged models.

"The most important part is that the production does not depend on some particular chassis manufacturer which might eventually 'backfire' and put the whole production to a halt. When making the Oncilla APC, the manufacturer diversifies suppliers of components and subsystems according to the formula 'main – alternative – reserve' [supplier], this allows us to be flexible and switch over to secondary logistic chains without affecting the performance parameters of the product in the outcome," assured a representative from the Beryl Design Bureau in a conversation with Defense Express.