| notes | "The Panhard Véhicule Blindé Léger ("Light armoured vehicle"), also known by its acronym Panhard VBL or simply VBL, is a French wheeled 4x4 all-terrain vehicle built by Panhard. The vehicle is offered in various configurations, and was designed to combine the agility of the Peugeot VLTT liaison vehicle with adequate protection against small arms fire, artillery fragments, mines and NBC weapons. Produced between 1985 and 2010, the vehicle has been used by the French Army and other European, African and Central American armies in various conflicts since the 1980s.
The French VBL programme started in 1978. The French Army was looking for a light reconnaissance vehicle, intended to work with the AMX-10 RC, the Hotchkiss M201 being obsolete when compared with the Soviet BRDM-2s. The new vehicle needed to be armed with a single machine gun for reconnaissance (recce) or with the MILAN missile for anti-tank combat, while being protected from NBC hazards and small arms fire. Both Renault and Panhard proposed a prototype, the trials beginning in 1982. Before its selection by the French armed forces in 1985, the Panhard model was ordered by the Mexican Army in 1984. In 1985, a pre production of 15 vehicles for the French Army was launched[1] while the VBL started its active operational service in the French Army in 1990. The French Army ordered 569 VBLs in 1990, 330 between 1994 and 1997, and 700 VB2L (lengthened variant) before 2004. The VBL, sold abroad as the ULTRAV M-11 has been produced at Marolles-en-Hurepoix, around 10 vehicles being produced each month in 2004. The 1,500th VBL was produced in 2001 and the last VBL of the 2,600 VBLs left the plant in 2010." |
|---|
| sections | | name | "Armament" |
|---|
| sections | | name | "Weapon 1" |
|---|
| properties | | name | "Cailber/Length " |
|---|
| value | "12.7 (.50 caliber)" |
|---|
| units | "mm" |
|---|
|
|
| name | "Type" |
|---|
| value | "Machine Gun" |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
| name | "Weapon 2" |
|---|
| properties | | name | "Cailber/Length " |
|---|
| value | "115.0" |
|---|
| units | "mm" |
|---|
|
|
| name | "Type" |
|---|
| value | "Anti-Tank Missile" |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
| name | "Automotive" |
|---|
| properties | | name | "Engine Name" |
|---|
| value | "XD 3T" |
|---|
|
| name | "Engine Type" |
|---|
| value | "Peugeot liquid-cooled, turbo- charged, in-line, 4-cylinder
diesel
" |
|---|
|
| name | "Fording Depth " |
|---|
| value | "Amphibious" |
|---|
| units | "m" |
|---|
|
| name | "Range, Cruising " |
|---|
| value | "600 (max fuel variant to 800,
1000 with external tanks
" |
|---|
| units | "km" |
|---|
|
| name | "Speed , Average Cross-Country" |
|---|
| value | "INA" |
|---|
| units | "km/h" |
|---|
|
| name | "Speed , Maximum Off-Road" |
|---|
| value | "INA" |
|---|
| units | "km/h" |
|---|
|
| name | "Speed, Maximum Road " |
|---|
| value | "95.0" |
|---|
| units | "km/h" |
|---|
|
| name | "Speed, Maximum Swim " |
|---|
| value | "5.4" |
|---|
| units | "km/h" |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
| name | "Communications" |
|---|
| sections | |
|---|
|
| name | "Munition" |
|---|
| sections | | name | "Weapon 1 Munition All" |
|---|
| properties | | name | "Armor Penetration " |
|---|
| value | "11 mm at 30° at 1500 m AP; 20 mm at 100 m Ball" |
|---|
| units | "mm" |
|---|
|
| name | "Combat Load " |
|---|
| value | "1200.0" |
|---|
| units | "rds" |
|---|
|
| name | "Muzzle Velocity " |
|---|
| value | "890 Ball; 1215 SLAPT (Tracer)" |
|---|
| units | "m/s" |
|---|
|
| name | "Range, Maximum Effective, Day " |
|---|
| value | "2000.0" |
|---|
| units | "m" |
|---|
|
| name | "Range, Maximum Effective, Night " |
|---|
| value | "INA" |
|---|
| units | "m" |
|---|
|
| name | "Type" |
|---|
| value | "Ball, Tracer, AP, API, API-T, AP Hardcore, Multipurpose, SLAP,
SLAPT" |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
| name | "Weapon 2 Munition All" |
|---|
| properties | | name | "Armor Penetration " |
|---|
| value | "1000 mm of ERA or 3 m of reinforced concrete Milan" |
|---|
| units | "mm" |
|---|
|
| name | "Combat Load " |
|---|
| value | "6.0" |
|---|
| units | "rds" |
|---|
|
| name | "Muzzle Velocity " |
|---|
| value | "200.0" |
|---|
| units | "m/s" |
|---|
|
| name | "Range, Maximum Effective " |
|---|
| value | "2000 Milan, 3000 Milan ER" |
|---|
| units | "m" |
|---|
|
| name | "Range, Minimum Effective " |
|---|
| value | "25 Milan" |
|---|
| units | "m" |
|---|
|
| name | "Type" |
|---|
| value | "Tandem Heat-SACLOS" |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
| name | "Protection" |
|---|
| properties | | name | "Active Protection System" |
|---|
| value | "No" |
|---|
|
| name | "Armor, Applique " |
|---|
| value | "No" |
|---|
| units | "mm" |
|---|
|
| name | "Armor, Explosive Reactive " |
|---|
| value | "No" |
|---|
| units | "mm" |
|---|
|
| name | "Armor, Turret Front " |
|---|
| value | "5-11.5" |
|---|
| units | "mm" |
|---|
|
| name | "NBC Protection" |
|---|
| value | "Collective" |
|---|
|
| name | "Self-Entrenching Blade" |
|---|
| value | "No" |
|---|
|
| name | "Smoke Equipment" |
|---|
| value | "Yes" |
|---|
|
| name | "Survivability Equipment" |
|---|
| value | "Increased mine protection, Kevlar blankets" |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
| name | "System" |
|---|
| sections | | name | "Dimensions" |
|---|
| properties | | name | "Height, Overall " |
|---|
| value | "1.70 (2.14 to top of MG)" |
|---|
| units | "m" |
|---|
|
| name | "Length, Chassis Overall " |
|---|
| value | "3.7" |
|---|
| units | "m" |
|---|
|
| name | "Width, Overall " |
|---|
| value | "2.02" |
|---|
| units | "m" |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
| properties | | name | "Alternative Designation" |
|---|
| value | "Vehicule Blinde Leger, Ultrav,
M11
" |
|---|
|
| name | "Crew " |
|---|
| value | "3.0" |
|---|
| units | "ea" |
|---|
|
| name | "Date of Introduction" |
|---|
| value | "1984.0" |
|---|
|
| name | "Description" |
|---|
| value | "4 X 4 armored vehicle carrier serves in a variety of roles. Some variants can carry more
than the crew.
" |
|---|
|
| name | "Ground Pressure " |
|---|
| value | "INA" |
|---|
| units | "kg/cm2" |
|---|
|
| name | "Proliferation" |
|---|
| value | "France, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Russia" |
|---|
|
| name | "Weight, Combat " |
|---|
| value | "3.55" |
|---|
| units | "mt" |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
| variants | | name | "VBL AT4CS" |
|---|
| notes | "A54CS 84-mm ATGM carrier with range only to 250 m with ring-mounted 7.62-mm
machine gun
" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL SOURCE" |
|---|
| notes | "Upgraded optics" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL Information" |
|---|
| notes | "Improved target designation" |
|---|
|
| name | "VAP Deep Penetration Vehicle" |
|---|
| notes | "Long wheel-base for deep
reconnaissance missions
" |
|---|
|
| name | "ULTRAV M11" |
|---|
| notes | "Stretched for NBC detection" |
|---|
|
| name | "Wasp Milan ER" |
|---|
| notes | "Remote weapon station with a 1-tube ATGM launcher &
7.62-mm machine gun
" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL Canon" |
|---|
| notes | "20-mm remote turret" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL Ingwe (South Africa)" |
|---|
| notes | "Armed Long Range Reconnaissance Turret with 4 Ingwe ATGM launchers" |
|---|
|
| name | "MPCV (Multi-purpose Combat Vehicle)" |
|---|
| notes | "VBR chassis with 4 rail missile launcher turret with 8 missiles
& 12.7-mm machine gun
" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL Tourelle Fermee" |
|---|
| notes | "Remote turret that can fire a 12.7-mm MG, 7.62-mm MG, or
40-mm AGL
" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBR" |
|---|
| notes | "Stretch variant can carry 5 soldiers; remote weapon station with M2HB MG &
smoke grenade launchers
" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL Eryx" |
|---|
| notes | "Short-range (600 m) AT carrier with secondary 7.62-mm
machine gun
" |
|---|
|
| name | "VB2L Poste de Commandement" |
|---|
| notes | "Command version with extra radios, map board, & 7.62-mm
MG for self-protection
" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL TOW (Greece)" |
|---|
| notes | "Single tube with 4 rounds with range to 3,750 m" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL Milan" |
|---|
| notes | "1 Milan firing unit with 6
missiles with range to 2 km
" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL Samantha" |
|---|
| notes | "Griffon surveillance radar to designate SAM missile & AA
artillery targets
" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL Anti-Tank" |
|---|
| notes | "Equipped with the HOT or TOW turret, but also can be integrated with Kornet or
Ingwe missile systems
" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL Albi" |
|---|
| notes | "Fires Mistral/Mistral 2 SAMs" |
|---|
|
| name | "VBL with PL127 Turret" |
|---|
| notes | "12.7-mm MG or 40-mm AGL" |
|---|
|
|
|---|
