Viking BVS10 on patrol with the Netherlands Marine platoon in Chad, on the road between Goz Beida and Kou Kou, September 7, 2008, Kou Kou, Chad. Image courtesy of Netherlands MoD.

The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (Mod) announced on 31 August 2024, the donation of 28 an amphibious tracked vehicles to Ukraine. 

The BVS10 Bandvagn Viking  all-terrain vehicles were donated from Netherland stocks with the Marine Corp, and the Marine Corp have been involved in the training of Ukrainian personnel for both operational purposes and technical maintenance.

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The announcement from the MoD was clear that while Ukraine adheres to international humanitarian law, the Vikings are to be used at the discretion of Ukraine. This is an uncommon declaration from the Netherlands MoD, one that likely reflects a position supportive of the Ukrainian counter-invasion into the Russian territory of Kursk, contrasting with the US reticence to allow its donated arms to be used against Russian targets on Russian sovereign land.

The Vikings serve in a number of combat roles, including command vehicle and mobile firs support, as well as troop transport and medical extraction. 

The vehicle is armoured, providing protections from enemy fire, however, as the MoD states, the driver of the Viking suffered from a limited field of vision, and must communicate with the gunner to overcome this limitation. The MoD emphasised that this was an important aspect of training for the Ukrainian soldiers. 

The Viking is a fully-amphibious armoured all-terrain vehicle consisting of two tracked vehicle units linked by a steering mechanism, that communicate via a two-way voice communications unit. The roof of the forward cabin is fitted with a ring mount for a 12.7mm Browning heavy machine gun or a 7.62 general-purpose machine gun. The front cabin accommodates a driver and three fully equipped soldiers. The rear cabin can hold up to eight soldiers. Alternatively, the rear cabin can carry a mortar section, a heavy machine gun section, or a fully-equipped anti-tank detachment with Milan anti-armour missiles and firing posts. 

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In June 2005, the Netherlands Defence Materiel Organisation awarded a contract to Land Systems Hägglunds for the delivery of 74 BvS10 all-terrain vehicles to the Royal Netherlands Marines. These vehicles were acquired in four different variants: troop carriers (46 vehicles), command vehicles (20), repair and recovery vehicles (four), and ambulances (four).

The BvS10 vehicles were intended to supplement the Bv206 vehicles that had been in service with the Marines since the early 1990s. Deliveries commenced in January 2006, and by 2008, the Netherlands had received 66 of these vehicles. As of 2020, the country possesses 73 Vikings and 88 Bv206s. Plans are underway to replace some of these vehicles with 124 new tracked vehicles, with deliveries expected to begin in 2027.