VAB Armored Personnel Carrier (France)

The VAB armored personnel carrier was developed by Renault to meet a French Army requirement. A 4x4 configuration was selected and production started in 1976. The 6x6 version has been rejected by the French Army, however later it was redeveloped as an infantry fighting vehicle and offered for export customers as the VAB VCI. Both versions have many components in common. By the mid-1990s over 5 000 VABs had been produced, 4 300 for the French armed forces with the rest going to at least fifteen customer nations, with other undisclosed orders having been placed at one time or another. In the French Army service these armored personnel carriers are allocated with the rapid deployment force, used overseas, while the heavier AMX-10P infantry fighting vehicle is used by the forces committed to European defense. Since the early 2000s French Army was looking for a VAB replacement. Recently a new Griffon multi-role armored vehicle was developed in France to replace it. The Griffon has a different design than the VAB and fills the gap between armored personnel carriers and mine resistant ambush protected vehicles. It is scheduled to enter service with the French Army in 2018.

The base model is the 4x4 VAB VTT armored personnel carrier, which carries an infantry squad of 8-10 fully-equipped troops in the relatively spacious armored hull. Vehicle armor protects the crew and dismounts from 7.62 mm rounds, artillery shell splinters and anti-personnel mines. This armored personnel carrier can carry up to 2 000 kg of payload in place of the troops.

Most VABs carry at least a 7.62 mm machine gun, although 12.7 mm heavy machine guns and 20 mm cannons are fitted on some of these armored personnel carriers. Ballistic protection may be provided by various types of turrets.

In general the VAB armored personnel carrier is characterized by its simplicity, great cross-country performance. Vehicle uses independent suspension system, which provides great cross-country mobility. It is also fitted with a central tyre inflation system. Like many wheeled armored vehicles the VAB can swim across small water obstacles, such as rivers. On water it is propelled by its wheels or by waterjets, mounted at the rear of the hull. A trim vane is erected at the front, before entering the water. This armored personnel carrier can be airlifted by a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft.

Since its introduction the VAB series has become one of the most diverse of all current French combat vehicles, having been produced with many variations. The VAB is often allocated to French Army units as an anti-tank vehicle, armed with either MILAN or HOT anti-tank guided missiles. These vehicles have roof-mounted launcher turrets and carry reload missiles inside the troop compartment. Other VABs are employed by the French Army for just about every support vehicle function that can be devised.