This Mississauga company is making armoured fighting vehicles for Ukraine

A brutal war rages on in Ukraine, but it seems that Russian forces are on the retreat. Despite Russia's superiority in military strength and analysts predicting the war would last just days, support from Western nations keeps Ukraine in the fight, including some high-tech equipment sourced from right here in the Greater Toronto Area.

Canada hasn't exactly been the number-one supplier of military hardware to Ukraine, but that doesn't mean our government isn't pitching in.

In a deal announced in late April by Defense Minister Anita Anand, Canada agreed to send eight armoured personnel carriers, or APCs — heavily armed and protected troop transports — to Ukraine, produced by Mississauga-based defence contractor Roshel Defence Solutions.

⚡️Canada to purchase 8 armored vehicles for Ukraine.

Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand wrote on Twitter that Canada has finalized a contract for eight armored vehicles manufactured by Roshel.

“We will supply them to our Ukrainian friends as soon as possible,” she wrote.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 27, 2022

Touting itself as one of North America's largest suppliers of smart armoured vehicles for commercial and government organizations, Roshel has built vehicles for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, NASA, Customs and Border Protection, as well as Canada's National Defence, along with private security firms GardaWorld and Brink's.

Ukrainian forces will be getting eight of Roshel's flagship Senator APC vehicles, a modular-designed vehicle that can also be fitted out for use by law enforcement and other applications.

Debuted in 2018, these vehicles are built with lightweight composite materials, advanced heat and noise insulation, and the ability to turn on a dime for use in tight urban settings. In its military configuration, the armour enveloping the Senator's engine bay and passenger compartment can stop a 30.06 armour-piercing rifle round.

Roshel has unveiled its new Senator Armored Rescue Vehicle, specifically designed and engineered for Special Response, Tactical and SWAT teams. pic.twitter.com/VwvTsIvD4h

— Roshel Defence Solutions (@RoshelDefence) October 1, 2018

Ukraine is now very much on the offensive, and while the vehicle's defensive capabilities are its main selling point, these things are packed with perimeter gun ports and will be bristling with firepower once kitted out by Ukrainian troops.

They also come with features like external view cameras and other high-tech perks that are designed to improve survivability in combat.

As fancy as they may be, the number of vehicles provided to Ukraine has been the source of ridicule on social media, Canada also contributing small numbers of howitzers and other military equipment.

I'm not embarrassed. For years our military helped in the training of the Ukrainian military. We've also been doing a lot on the humanitarian side with regards to how many refugees we continue to take in. War is a lot more than just weapons and not everyone is a soldier.

— OPee 🇨🇦 🇹🇹 (@OPee80) April 27, 2022

Ukraine has been pressuring allies to send armoured vehicles to assist in the country's defence throughout the conflict, but the effectiveness of armour — or at least Russian and inherited Soviet armour — has been called into question in the face of modern anti-tank weapons like the Javelin and NLAW systems that have proven so successful in this war.