Véhicule Blindé Léger (VBL)
The Panhard VBL (often only the term VBL is used) is a contemporary French universal wheeled transport and reconnaissance vehicle. VBL Milan Véhicule Blindé Léger ("Light armoured vehicle") is a French wheeled 4x4 all-terrain vehicle. Produced between 1985 and 2010, the vehicle has been used by the French Army and other European, African and armies in various conflicts since the 1980s. The VBL was designed to weigh under 3.5 tons, but additions of extra weaponry, armor, and systems have bumped its weight up to 4 tons.
The Panhard VBL is very mobile in the field and has the ability to overcome water obstacles without any special preparation. It is fully amphibious and can swim at 5.4 km/h, moving in the water with a propeller at the back of the vehicle. The VBL is also air transportable by C-130, C-160 and A400M. The vehicle is offered in various configurations, and was designed to combine the agility of the Peugeot P4 liaison vehicle with adequate protection against small arms fire, artillery fragments, mines and NBC weapons. AT medium range version uses one MILAN missile fire unit with six missiles, and a MIRA Thermal camera.
The armament of the car is not permanent and depends on the version - most often it will be provided by a single 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine gun. The drive is provided by a single motor Peugeot XD3T power of 95 hp. It has a fuel consumption of 16 liters per 100 km.
Small, inexpensive combat vehicles have a long history. They include the machinegun-armed tricycle, circa 1900; the Renault light FT-17, 2-man tank (6.5 metric tons) used by the French and US forces in WWI; the British tracked Bren gun carrier and Soviet BA-64, 4x4 armored car of early WWII; the post-war British Ferret scout car; and jeeps armed with machine guns, recoilless rifles and antitank guided missiles.
Modern tankers in their 40-to-70-ton machines may regard these lightweight combat vehicles as merely interesting oddities from the past, and the new ultra-lights as not much more potent. But the modern ultra-lights have a very low battlefield signature, along with the capability of carrying a half-dozen or so tank-killing guided missiles. They can also mount short-range surface-to-air missiles (SAM) or 20-to-30-mm automatic cannon capable of engaging light armored vehicles. The capabilities of the new ultra-lights as weapon carriers, coupled with their concealability and quiet operation, made them especially useful for conducting ambushes, raids, flank attacks, economy of force operations, convoy escort, reconnaissance, and internal security operations, either alone or in conjuction with heavier mechanized forces.
Structurally, the VBL is split into two sections: the motor bay at the front, providing added protection to the second compartment designed for the crew. The limited interior dimensions birthed the lengthened VBL variant. Crew members inside the VBL are safeguarded against NBC weapons. Recce versions are crewed by two personnel, while anti-tank models accommodate a crew of three.
In its French Army version, the VBL boasts a Peugeot XD3T turbo-diesel engine, an engine common in civilian cars like the Peugeot 505, Peugeot 605, and Talbot Tagora. Apart from the engine, several other civilian standard components find use in the VBL. The engine touts a power output of 95 horsepower, offering a power-to-weight ratio of 29.5 hp per ton. This allows the VBL to hit speeds up to 95 km/h. It has a relatively economical fuel consumption and a substantial range, which can be amplified by adding two external fuel tanks.
The VBL was developed during the 1980s and entered operational service in France in 1990. The Panhard VBL was created in response to the demand of the French armed forces for a new, light vehicle dedicated to rapid reaction troops. The Panhard Ultrav-M11 and Renault VBL were competitors for French Army reconnaissance scout and anti-tank vehicle roles and for export (40-45 Mlls have been ordered by Mexico by 1985). The Renault VBL is of less conventional design than the Panhard M11 in that its militarized commercial engine is mounted in the rear. It has lighter (4 to 6-mm thick) armor, but weighs less (2,554 empty, 2.970 loaded) than the M1l.
The French Army established requirements (in 1977) for an under-3.3-t Vehicule Blinde Leger (VBL) - Light Armored Vehicle - to replace scout jeeps and to use as an antitank missile carrier. The VBL development started in 1978 to replace the jeep Hotchkiss in the reconnaissance units. It entered service with the French army in 1990 and is used in all the cavalry, armor and infantry units. Two basic versions were designed from the beginning of the program : the VBL reconnaissance and the VBL Milan for the antitank role.
The Véhicule Blindé Léger (VBL) corresponded to a new tactical need with wheels discrete and general-purpose having amphibians and NBC capacities. It is conceived to combine with the agility of the jeep a sufficient protection against the battlefield and the dangers of NBC attack. The VBL is planned for two versions: reconnaissance and anti-tank combat. It must be able to carry out in an autonomous way the missions of reconnaissance and infiltration, and to ensure the environment of the future. The version with anti-tank devices will be capable of shooting MILAN with 6 missiles, 7.62 mm automatic arms with 2000 rounds, or 7.62 mm automatic arms with 3000 rounds.
About one-third of the 8,000 armored vehicles that were to be procured to equip the 5-division French Rapid Action and Assistance Command established in the mid-1980s and to modernize other combat units were expected to be the winning VBL competitor. The French Army also was procuring other, heavier, armored vehicles, including AMX-IORC 105-mm gun, 6x6 fire support vehicles and VAB 4x4 APCs for its light armored, infantry, and marine divisions as well as 900-1,000 new main battle tanks and AMX-1OP tracked IFVs for its mechanized divisions.
The Panhard VBL is offered in various configurations. A dozen or so development versions of the Panhard VBL were produced in the course of serial production. One of them is designated VBL Milan and is equipped with anti-tank guided missiles of the same name. The VBL ERYX version, which uses Eryx anti-tank missiles, has a similar role. A reconnaissance version was also created - VBL RECO 12.7. In the reconnaissance version the crew is of 2 with an additional seat in the back of the cabin. The armament is a 7.62 mm MG fitted to a ring mount. The AA-NF1 which was the original MG is being replaced by a MAG 58. The VBL carries 3000 rounds in boxes ready to fire. Some reconnaissance vehicles are fitted with a 0.50 cal MG in a cupola. A long-bed version known as VBLL or VB2L is mainly used by units commanders.
The VBL has been deployed by the French army in all the conflicts in which it took part since 1990. Its protection against antitank weapons has been reinforced by additional armor plates in particular in Lebanon and Afghanistan. Panhard VBL vehicles were used by the French army on missions in Afghanistan, Côte d'Ivoire and northern Mali.
The VBL, internationally known as the ULTRAV M-11, hails from Marolles-en-Hurepoix, located 30 km south of Paris. Production rates soared to ten units monthly in 2004. Commemorating its production, the 1,500th VBL was celebrated in 2001, and the last one out of 2,600 VBLs rolled off the assembly line in 2010.
Approximately 1700 VBL in all types have been purchased by the French army. Panhard VBL vehicles have also found many foreign buyers, including Benin, Botswana, Greece, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. Around 15 countries utilize the VBL among which Greece, Kuwait, Mexico and Portugal are the biggest users.
The Griffon is the multi-role armored vehicle of the French Army. It is manufactured by Nexter, Thales and Arquus. The 1,872 Griffons programmed to replace the old VAB and VBL in service with the Army. The activity of the French manufacturer of armored vehicles Arquus (formerly Renault Trucks Defense), designer of globally recognized vehicles such as the VAB, the VBL, the Bastion or the Sherpa, is strongly supported by the rise in orders for armored vehicles from the French army.
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