Panhard VBL Scout Car (France) KEY RECOGNITION FEATURES • Almost vertical hull front, sloping glacis plate with large access panel in upper part, forward part of rear crew compartment slopes to rear, horizontal roof with three hatches, single door in hull rear • Two large road wheels, hull above wheel arches slope inwards, single forwardopening door in each side with bullet-proof window in upper part • Heavy armament, eg 12. 7mm M2 HB MG or MILAN, is mounted on circular hatch at rear
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SPECIFICATIONS Crew: Configuration: Armament:
DEVELOPMENT 3 4x4
1 x 7.62mm MG, 1 x MILAN ATGW launcher Ammunition: 3000 x 7.62mm, 6 x MILAN ATGW Lenejth:__ 3.87m Width: 2.02m 1.7m (hull top), 2.14m Height: (with 7.62mm MG) 0.37m Ground clearance: 2.45m Wheelbase: 3590kg Weight, combat: 2890kg Weight, empty: Power-to-weight ratio: 26.76hp/tonne Engine: Peugeot XD3T, 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel developing _95h£jrt 4150rpm 95km/hr Maximum road speed: Maximum water speed: 4.5km/hr Maximum road range: 600km, 800km with onboard fuel cans Fordingj__ 0.9m (see text) Trench: 0.50m Gradient: 50% 30% Side slope: Armour: 11.5mm (maximum) Armour type: Steel NBC system: Yes Night vision equipment: Yes (passive for driver) (Above relates to French Army VBL in combat/anti-tank role)
In 1978 the French Army issued a requirement for a new light reconnaissance/anti-tank vehicle, the Vehicule Blinde Leger (VBL). Panhard and Renault each built prototypes for competitive evaluation and in February 1985 the Panhard VBL was selected, although at this time the vehicle was already in production for Mexico. The exact number of vehicles required by the French Army is still uncertain but the first order was for 569 vehicles with the first production vehicles for the French Army being completed late in 1990. The French Army has two basic versions of the VBL, combat/anti-tank with a three-man crew armed with a MILAN ATGW launcher and 7.62mm MG, and intelligence/scout with a two-man crew and armed with one 7.62mm and one 12.7mm MG. The 1000th VBL vehicle was completed at the Panhard production facility at Marolles in October 1995. All versions have engine front and crew compartment rear with three roof hatches and three doors. It is fully amphibious, with propeller at hull rear, and standard equipment includes central tyre pressure system. Options include heater, powered steering and air-conditioning system.
VARIANTS Panhard has proposed over 20 models of the VBL for the export market including radar (battlefield and air defence), antiaircraft (Mistral SAMs), anti-tank (MILAN, HOT or TOW ATGWs) and internal security to name but a few. There is also a long wheelbase version of the VBL. STATUS In production. In service with Benin, Cameroon, Djibouti, France, Gabon, Greece, Indonesia, Kuwait, Oman, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria,
