Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie

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Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie (VBCI)
VBCI in the field (2005)

VBCI in the field (2005)
General properties
crew 2 (commander, driver) + 9 infantrymen (VCI)
2 (commander, driver) + 2 SIR + 7 infantry. (VPC)
length 7.60 m
width 2.98 m
height 2.26 m (top of chassis, without tower)
Dimensions 25.6 t (VCI), combat weight
23.3 t (VPC), combat weight
Armor and armament
Armor Steel and titanium
Main armament 1 × 25 mm M811 automatic cannon
Secondary armament 1 × 7.62 mm MG (coaxial)
agility
drive 6-cylinder turbo diesel engine Renault D12D
410 kW (550 PS )
suspension hydropneumatic
Top speed 100 km / h (road)
Power / weight 16.0 kW / t (VCI), 17.6 kW / t (VPC)
Range 750 km

The Véhicule Blinde de Combat d'Infanterie (short: VBCI , German : Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle) is a achträdriger (8 × 8), amphibious rifle and Spähpanzer of French production.

The VBCI was developed by the French armaments group GIAT and produced together with the truck manufacturer Renault Trucks . In this joint venture, GIAT is responsible for the aluminum body , armor , turret , weapons and communication and information systems. Renault Trucks Défense developed and manufactured the Driveline 8 × 8 drive unit , which is intended to ensure high mobility. Driveline 8 × 8 refers to a system that includes the engine , chassis and transmission .

history

In the early 1990s, the governments of France and Germany agreed, later with the UK, to enter into a development cooperation for a protected wheeled vehicle, as part of which two MRAV (Multirole Armored Vehicle) models were introduced. These were the GTK (Armored Transport Motor Vehicle) and the VBCI. After the decision in favor of the GTK was made in April 1998 in the trinational consortium, France left the cooperation in order to complete the VBCI project on its own. On November 6, 2000, the program received a tailwind when the French government ordered 700 vehicles. In 2003 and 2004 test runs of the armor, the electronics and the driving behavior were successful. In the following year, the first five prototypes , four VCI armored personnel carriers and one VPC command vehicle, were tested under real conditions. This discovered design flaws in the Draggar turret that needed to be fixed. Because of this mishap, the project was delayed by two years. Finally two more new prototypes were made. The first 41 vehicles of the series production that has now started were delivered to the 35th Infantry Regiment in Belfort in 2008 . In December 2008, the French Ministry of Defense ordered an additional 117 VBCI, bringing the preliminary total order quantity to 298 vehicles.

Versions

Both versions are fully ABC-protected and have the latest electronic equipment, such as the French SIT system (Système d'Information Terminal).

  • VCI ( V éhicule de C ombat d' I nfanterie): armored personnel carriers
  • VPC ( V éhicule P oste de C ommandement): mobile command post
    • two operators for SIT and seven soldiers, plus a two-man crew
    • a 12.7 mm machine gun for self-defense

Web links

Commons : Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.janes.com/defence/land_forces/news/idr/idr050908_1_n.shtml
  2. ↑ Renault Trucks Defense: Information about the Driveline VBCI (engl.)