×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Chart (2024) Special Forces
HOME
ARMOR INDEX
MODERN ARMIES
ARMOR BY COUNTRY
VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE VEHICLES
VEHICLES BY CONFLICT
VEHICLES BY TYPE
VEHICLES BY DECADE
COLD WAR VEHICLES
GULF WAR VEHICLES
MODERN TANKS
MODERN ARTILLERY
Land Systems / Battlefield

Renault VAB (Vehicule de l Avant Blinde)


4x4 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) [ 1976 ]



The versatile French-made VAB armored vehicle can be fitted with various armament options to suit the required battlefield role.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/19/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
The French-produced VAB is a versatile Armored Personnel Carrier and scout car. The chassis is used in a series of capable variants for ease-of-cost, logistics, and production. The chassis was developed in a 4x4 and 6x6-wheeled configuration, is fully amphibious, and can mount variable weaponry including machine guns and missile systems to counter most any light-to-medium battlefield threat.

The air defense variant is equipped with 4 x Mistral Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs). Another variant showcases the HOT Anti-Tank, Guided-Missile (ATGM) weapon. Still another form manages twin 20mm automatic cannons to counter the threat posed by low-flying aircraft as well as ground-based light-armored vehicles (developed for Oman). Full NBC protection and night vision is available for the crew which is made up of two to three personnel. Passenger-equipped models can carry up to ten combat-ready infantrymen.

Drive power to the vehicle is from the in-house Renault MIDS 06-20-45 6-cylinder, inline, water-cooled, turbocharged diesel-fueled engine of 220 horsepower. This drives a 4x4 wheeled arrangement which and allows the vehicle to reach speeds of over 90 kmh out to a range of 1,000 kilometers. Weight is 13,000 kg and dimensions include an overall length of 5.98 meters with a width of 2.49 meters and a height of 2.06 meters.

Renault and Panhard of France both have produced the VAB line. The designation of VAB stands for "Vehicule de I'Avant Blinde" which translates into Forward Area Armored Vehicle. Modernization programs have kept the French VAB in step with most battlefield advances and the system counts customers from Brunei and the Central African Republic to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

May 2017 - Lebanon has taken delivery of its first HOT-missile-equipped VAB "Mephisto" armored vehicles. These examples are ex-French Army.

November 2018 - Lebanon has taken delivery of its second batch of Mephisto vehicles. The delivery includes ten additional vehicles along with 96 total HOT ATGMs.

Specifications



Renault Trucks Defense - France
Manufacturer(s)
Brunei; Central African Republic; Cyprus; France; Indonesia; Italy; Ivory Coast; Kuwait; Lebanon; Mauritius; Mexico; Morocco; Oman; Qatar; United Arab Emirates;
Operators National flag of Cyprus National flag of France National flag of Indonesia National flag of Italy National flag of Kuwait National flag of Lebanon National flag of Mexico National flag of Morocco National flag of Oman National flag of Qatar National flag of the United Arab Emirates
1976
Service Year
France
National Origin
Active
Project Status
3
Crew
5,000
Units




19.6 ft
(5.98 meters)
Length
8.2 ft
(2.49 meters)
Width
6.8 ft
(2.06 meters)
Height
28,660 lb
(13,000 kg)
Weight
14.3 tons
(Light-class)
Tonnage


1 x Renault MIDS 06-20-45 6-cylinder turbocharged in-line water-cooled, diesel-fueled engine developing 220 horsepower at 2,200rpm driving conventional all-wheel 4x4 arrangement.
Drive System
57 mph
(92 kph)
Road Speed
621 miles
(1,000 km)
Road Range


VARIABLE:
1 x 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG).
1 x Anti-Tank Guided-Missile (ATGM) Launcher.

Also any personal weapons carried by the crew.
AMMUNITION
500 x 12.7mm ammunition (estimated).


VAB - Base Series Designation; 4x4 chassis.
VAB IFV - Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
VAB Echelon - Battlefield Repair Vehicle.
VAB VCAC "Mephisto" - Features "HOT-3" anti-tank missile system.
VAB PC - Commander's Vehicle.
VAB Transmission - Communications Vehicle.
VAB - Battlefield Engineering Vehicle.
VAB Bromure - Electronic Warfare Vehicle.
VAB Saitaire - Battlefield Ambulance.
VAB VMO - Specialized Security Variant.
VAB VTM 120 - Mortar Carrier (120mm).
VAB VPM 81 - Mortar Carrier (81mm).
VAB AA - Anti-Aircraft Defense Variant featuring twin-20mm cannons.
VAB NBC - Nuclear, Biological and Chemical protection vehicle.
VAB TOW - TOW Anti-Tank variant.
VAB MBDA - Anti-Aircraft Vehicle featuring Mistral surface-to-air missiles.
VBC-90 - 6x6 Armored Scout Car.


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of the Bulge
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Kursk
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles

Images



1 / 1
Image of the Renault VAB (Vehicule de l Avant Blinde)
Image from the Department of Defense imagery database.

Similar



Developments of similar form and function or related to the Renault VAB (Vehicule de l Avant Blinde)...

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)