By Kyaw Soe Oo
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario (Reuters) - A Canadian company supplying battle-ready armoured vehicles to Ukraine plans to deliver the 200 vehicles Ottawa promised to Kyiv before summer, the firm's Chief Executive Officer Roman Shimonov said on Thursday.
Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand visited Kyiv to meet Ukrainian officials on Wednesday and announced the supply of 200 Senator armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine, as part of its latest military assistance package.
Ontario-based Roshel Inc builds armoured vehicles for government and commercial organizations, including the U.S State Department and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Its Roshel Senator armoured personnel carriers, built on Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Co's F-550 large pickup truck chassis with ballistic steel and fitted with mine-protection seats and other safety features, has been used by Ukrainian soldiers in their defence against the Russian invasion that began last February.
"Ukraine right now is in full-scale war ... and they have to have a way to transport their personnel safely, and our vehicle provides them with this solution," Shimonov said.
The Senators can be used be used as a medical evacuation vehicle or as a tactical combat vehicle, he said.
The company has established a "sophisticated" secure supply chain and has been shipping a few armoured vehicles every day, Shimonov said in an interview at Roshel's assembly plant in Mississauga.
Canada has provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in aid, including over C$1 billion in military supplies. Shimonov declined to share details, but said Ottawa's order of 200 armoured vehicles for Ukraine is expected to be delivered by summer.