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Panhard VBL (Vehicule Blinde Leger)


Amphibious Wheeled Armored Scout Car


France | 1990



"The Panhard VBL light vehicle has proven a global success with operators ranging from Central and South America to Africa and the Pacific."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one land system design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Panhard VBL Amphibious Wheeled Armored Scout Car.
1 x Peugot XD3T turbocharged diesel-fueled engine developing 95 horsepower driving conventional four-wheeled arrangement.
Installed Power
59 mph
95 kph
Road Speed
373 miles
600 km
Range
Structure
The physical qualities of the Panhard VBL Amphibious Wheeled Armored Scout Car.
2
(MANNED)
Crew
12.5 ft
3.8 meters
O/A Length
6.6 ft
2.02 meters
O/A Width
5.6 ft
1.7 meters
O/A Height
8,157 lb
3,700 kg | 4.1 tons
Weight
Armament & Ammunition
Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Panhard VBL (Vehicule Blinde Leger) Amphibious Wheeled Armored Scout Car.
Variable. 7.62mm to 12.7mm machine guns. Missile carriers mount various anti-tank or anti-aircraft missile types.
AMMUNITION:
Dependent upon armament fit: 3,000 x 7.62mm ammunition; 6 x MILAN Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs).
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Panhard VBL (Vehicule Blinde Leger) family line.
VBL - Base Series Designation.
VBL MILAN - ATGM vehicle.
VBL ERYX - ATGM vehicle.
VBL POSTE DE COMMANDEMENT - Command vehicle.
VBL RECO 12.7 - Reconnaissance vehicle; 12.7mm armament.
VBL AT4CS - ATGM vehicle.
ULTRAV M11 - Export NBC vehicle.
VBL TOW - Export TOW ATGM carrier.
VBL ALBI-MISTRAL - Export air-defense vehicle.
VBL CANON - Export vehicle with turreted 20mm auto cannon.
VBL TOURELLE FERMEE - Export vehicle with RWS mounting 12.7mm HMG.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/16/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The lightweight all-terrain vehicle will always have a place on the battlefield which is why designs like the French Vehicle Blinde Leger (VBL) are still in existence and have proven utterly popular with global operators. This 4x4 armored car was developed to a 1978 French Army requirement calling for a lightweight/lightly-armored reconnaissance car that could double as a weapons carrier. This resulted in pilot (prototype) vehicles emerging from the storied French concerns of Panhard and Renault. After the requisite Army evaluations were had, the Panhard offering was adopted for serial production and formal service in February of 1985. Production began in 1990 and continues today (2017).

The vehicle takes on a traditional automobile form with the engine in a frontal compartment and driver at front-left. There is a passenger seat to his right and a large console in-between. Roof hatches are featured over the driver and passenger positions and a third is set over the rear edge of the hull roof. Automobile-style doors provide entry/exit for the two front occupants. Various weapon types can be installed over the hull roof (at center) including machine guns, automatic cannons, and Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) launchers making the VBL something of an all-in-one battlefield solution. Wheels are set against the far corners of the design for excellent balance and the chassis sits high off the ground to promote strong ground clearance characteristics - useful in off road travel. Armor protection is up to STANAG Level 1, which covers small arms fire up to 7.62mm as well as artillery spray and mine fragmentation. Multiple glass facings are bullet resistant to an extent. Power to the drive system is from a Peugeot XD3T turbo-diesel engine developing 95 horsepower. Operational range is out to 600 kilometers though this can be augmented with external fuel stores to reach as far out as 1,000 kilometers. Road speeds maximize at 95 kmh. An amphibious capability is built into the VBL's design (a propeller is set at the hull rear for propulsion).

Dimensions include a length of 3.8 meters with a width of 2 meters and a height of 1.7 meters. Weight is up to 4 tonnes. These qualities allow the VBL to be air-transportable in the belly of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport or similar medium-class hauler.

Primary French models include the MILAN missile carrier (anti-tank platform), the ERYX missile carrier (anti-tank platform), the POSTE de COMMANDEMENT Command and Control (C2) vehicle, the RECO 12.7 infantry support vehicle, and the AT4CS anti-tank weapons carrier.

In French hands, the VBL has seen combat exposure in the former Yugoslavia, the Ivory Coast, Afghanistan and the Mali Intervention. Much of its time abroad has been spent in support of UN-led peacekeeping endeavors to war-torn parts of the world.

Exportation of the VBL has been strong with operators seen from Benin and Botswana to Togo and the United Arab Emirates. The largest VBL operator outside of France has become Oman (132) followed by Nigeria (72). The vehicle provides a relatively cheap security system for budget-conscious shoppers. Export models include the ULTRAV M11 NBC reconnaissance platform, the TOW missile carrier (anti-tank system), the MISTRAL missile carrier (air defense system), the CANON with 20mm auto cannon turret, and the TOURELLE FERMEE featuring a Remote Weapon Station (RWS) mounting a 12.7 heavy-caliber machine gun.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

December 2020 - Up to 120 modernized VBL vehicles will be ordered by the French Army in 2021.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Panhard VBL (Vehicule Blinde Leger). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.

Total Production: 2,355 Units

Contractor(s): Panhard - France
National flag of Cameroon National flag of France National flag of Gabon National flag of Georgia National flag of Greece National flag of Indonesia National flag of Kuwait National flag of Mexico National flag of Niger National flag of Nigeria National flag of Oman National flag of Portugal National flag of Qatar National flag of Russia National flag of Rwanda National flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia National flag of Senegal National flag of Serbia National flag of the United Arab Emirates

[ Benin; Botswana; Cameroon; Djibouti; France; Gabon; Georgia (former); Greece; Indonesia; Kuwait; Mexico; Niger; Nigeria; Oman; Portugal; Qatar; Russia (ordered); Rwanda; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Togo; United Arab Emirates ]
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Image of the Panhard VBL (Vehicule Blinde Leger)
Image from official Panhard marketing material.
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Image of the Panhard VBL (Vehicule Blinde Leger)
Image from official Panhard marketing material.
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Image of the Panhard VBL (Vehicule Blinde Leger)
Image from official Panhard marketing material.
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Image of the Panhard VBL (Vehicule Blinde Leger)
Image from the United States Department of Defense DVIDS imagery database.

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