Canada's Roshel confirms Ukraine received over 2,000 Senator armored vehicles since war started.

Roshel CEO Roman Shimonov announced on December 5, 2025, that Ukraine has received more than 2,000 Senator armored vehicles since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.

On December 5, 2025, Roshel CEO Roman Shimonov announced that more than 2,000 Senator armored vehicles have now been delivered to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. He released new footage from Ukraine showing a Senator being struck by a Russian drone and continuing to move before the crew dismounted safely, illustrating how the Senator could really save the lives of its occupants. Used by numerous Ukrainian units, including National Guards and Special Forces, the Senator became one of the most widely fielded armored vehicles used by Ukraine in areas frequently exposed to Russian artillery and FPV drones.
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Approximately 90 percent of Ukrainian orders concerning the Roshel Senator were financed by foreign governments, including Ukraine itself, and around 10 percent of the fleet was donated directly by Canada (Picture source: Ukrainian MoD)

The path to this total combines a gradual production ramp-up with repeated aid decisions. Production of the Senator began in 2018, with the vehicle entering service that year and being used in 2020 to transport astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley during the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission. The first eight newly-built Senators were shipped to Ukraine in 2022, followed in January 2023 by a Canadian package that included 200 vehicles valued at about 92 million Canadian dollars. By July 10, 2023, around 550 Senators were already in Ukrainian service, rising to 1,000 with the delivery of the thousandth vehicle on December 21, 2023, and to approximately 1,400 by mid-September 2024. The 1,700th vehicle was delivered by March 2025, and Shimonov’s latest statement shows how Roshel's production has kept pace with Ukraine's needs. Throughout this period, Roshel has cited a production rate of roughly 120 to 140 vehicles per month, supported by about 500 full-time employees. The Senator’s approximate unit price is reported to be around $600,000, which is less than other MRAPs such as the Cougar, the Nyala, or the M1117 Guardian.

Used in Ukraine for troop transport, logistics, medical evacuation, and other field missions, the Senator family is built on commercial truck platforms such as the Ford F-550 Super Duty or the Ram 5500, depending on variant and customer requirements. Most versions weigh close to 8 tonnes and measure roughly 5.6 meters in length, 2.4 meters in width, and up to 2.75 meters in height. They typically use a 6.7-liter turbocharged diesel V8 engine producing between 330 and 400 horsepower, with a high torque output (comprised between 1,050 to 1,250 Nm) transmitted through an automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel drive. The Senator's road speed of 100 to 120 km/h and ground clearance of about 319 mm help Ukrainian soldiers to move easily over damaged roads and soft terrain common along the front lines. Tires are often 335/85 R20 or 12.5 R20 with runflat inserts, approach and departure angles near 19 degrees, while National Research Council Canada testing reported side-slope tolerance close to 39 degrees, which further reduces mobility loss in uneven or cratered environments. Crew layouts generally include two front occupants and space for up to ten additional passengers, depending on configuration.

As shown in Ukraine, the protection of its passengers is the heart of the Senator's design. The armored steel hull and ballistic glass are compliant with NATO STANAG 4569 AEP 55 levels, depending on the version. Senator APC variants provide ballistic protection at Level 2, while MRAP variants incorporate enhanced blast protection reaching Level 2a and 2b thresholds. Tests cited for the Senator include a resistance to 7.62×39 mm armor-piercing rounds at short distances, blast effects equivalent to 6 kg TNT under the wheel or center, and fragmentation effects from 155 mm artillery shells at around 80 meters, which are the most common battlefield risks. Blast-mitigating seating and energy-dissipating floors reduce injury likelihood, and CBRN filtration systems are designed to isolate the passengers from external contamination. For offensive operations, roof mounts can accept remote weapon stations or manually operated systems accommodating 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine guns or 40 mm automatic grenade launchers. Digital situational awareness additions, such as night-vision equipment, cameras, and mapping interfaces, further help Ukrainian soldiers operate under limited visibility or electronic warfare conditions.

Variant diversification expanded how Ukrainian units could employ the Senator. The Senator APC supports standard troop movement, while the MRAP variant offers increased blast resistance for routes where mines and improvised devices are frequent. The Pickup variant provides a payload near 3.5 tonnes, enabling soldiers to transport supplies or equipment without shifting to unprotected platforms. Medical evacuation configurations allow movement of wounded personnel in armored capsules, which addresses recurring challenges in artillery-dominated sectors. Explosive ordnance disposal and emergency response variants support technical teams requiring protected workspaces. Roshel’s lighter Captain APC and Light Utility Vehicle concepts also reflect adaptations informed by Ukrainian operational feedback, including ergonomics, maintenance access, and driveline tolerance to variable fuel quality.

Exports broadened the user base beyond Ukraine. Police forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Moldova, and South Korea acquired Senators for internal security and high-risk patrols. In Brazil, vehicles were assigned to the Riot Police Battalion in Brasília and to the Special Police Operations Battalion. Haiti ordered seventeen Senator MRAPs on Ram 5500 chassis, with seven delivered for operations in urban zones affected by armed groups. In November 2025, Roshel delivered its first Senator Emergency Response Vehicle to a U.S. law enforcement agency in Guam, adding to earlier acquisitions by the United States federal organizations (such as the ICE) and NASA. Chile evaluated the Senator as a potential replacement for its legacy armored vehicles, and Roshel continued to seek industrial partnerships to support regional assembly and maintenance.

Roshel’s industrial expansion paralleled this increased demand. The company, founded in 2016 and based in Brampton, Ontario, operates manufacturing sites in Canada and maintains facilities in the United States, with plans for localized production in Ukraine. In August 2025, Roshel and Sweden’s Swebor announced a partnership to establish Canada’s first ballistic steel facility to produce hardened armor plate using Canadian iron ore and Swebor’s manufacturing processes. The agreement included shared intellectual property and was intended to support national supply for armored vehicle production and related programs. Roshel also agreed with ST Engineering to develop production of the Captain vehicle in Singapore, and at IDET 2025 in Brno, it outlined intentions for Czech-based assembly of Senator MRAP, APC, and ambulance variants.

Finally, the new counter-drone variant of the Senator addressed one of Ukraine’s most serious operational challenges. At CANSEC 2025, Roshel presented a Senator Pickup with Leonardo’s Falcon Shield suite, combining radar, electro-optical, and infrared sensors, electronic surveillance, and electronic attack components for detecting, tracking, identifying, locating, and disrupting hostile drones. The system can integrate kinetic or non-kinetic effectors and interface with NATO command networks. At DSEI 2025, Roshel emphasized modularity and the capacity to integrate varied communications and sensor packages. With deliveries to Ukraine exceeding 2,000 by December 2025, these features reflect ongoing adjustments that align the vehicle with the operational environment Ukrainian soldiers face daily.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.