Renault VAB (Vehicule de l Avant Blinde)

History

The VAB is produced in France and is a multi-purpose armored personnel carrier and reconnaissance vehicle. This chassis is used in many high-performance variants to simplify cost, logistics and production.

Designed in 4x4 and 6x6 wheeled configurations, the chassis is fully amphibious and can accommodate a wide range of weapons, including machine guns and missile systems, to deal with most light to medium battlefield threats.

The anti-aircraft variant is equipped with 4 x Mistral Air-to-Air Missiles (AAM). Another variant showcases the HOT anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) weapon. Another form manages two 20mm automatic cannons to counter threats from low-flying aircraft as well as lightly armoured ground vehicles (developed for Oman).

Crews of two to three have access to full NBC protection and night vision. Passenger-equipped models can carry up to ten combat-ready infantrymen.

The vehicle is powered by its own Renault MIDS 06-20-45 6-cylinder in-line diesel engine with water cooling and turbocharger, producing 220 hp. This drives a 4x4 wheel arrangement that enables the vehicle to reach speeds in excess of 90 km/h and a range of 1,000 km.

The weight is 13,000 kilograms, and the dimensions include a total length of 5.98 meters, a width of 2.49 meters, and a height of 2.06 meters.

Both Renault and Panhard in France produced the VAB series. The name VAB stands for "Vehicule de I'Avant Blinde", which means "Forward Area Armored Vehicle".

The modernization program keeps the French VAB up to date with most advances on the battlefield, and the system's customers range from Brunei and the Central African Republic to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

May 2017 - Lebanon received the first VAB "Mephisto" armored vehicle equipped with HOT missiles. These examples are former French troops.

November 2018 - Lebanon received the second batch of Mephisto vehicles. The delivery includes another 10 vehicles and a total of 96 HOT ATGMs.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

300x12.7mm ammo.

Changes