Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé
| Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé | |
|---|---|
A French VAB APC following the 2022 Bastille Day Parade | |
| Type | Armoured personnel carrier |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1979 – present |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | Western Sahara War Lebanese Civil War Opération Épervier Gulf War Opération Turquoise Bosnian War War in Afghanistan 2003–2004 Indonesian offensive in Aceh Opération Licorne Operation Serval Opération Sangaris Opération Barkhane Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | GIAT Industries |
| Designed | 1970–1977 |
| Manufacturer | Renault Trucks Defense MACK Defense |
| No. built | 5,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 13 t in combat order (standard) 13.8 t empty and 15.8 t loaded (upgraded VAB ultima) |
| Length | 5.98 m (19 ft 7 in) |
| Width | 2.49 m (8 ft 2 in) |
| Height | 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) |
| Crew | 2 |
| Passengers | 10 |
| Armour | cage, ballistic blanket
Steel armour providing protection against 7.62 mm bullets, artillery shell splinters and anti-personnel mines |
Main armament | 1 × AA52 7.62 mm machine gun or 1x M2 12.7mm machine gun |
| Engine | Renault MIDS 062045 235 kW (320 hp) |
| Power/weight | 17 W/kg (23 hp/t) |
| Suspension | wheeled |
| Ground clearance | 0.4 m (1 ft 4 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 310 litres |
Operational range | 1,200 km (750 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 110 km/h (68 mph) 7.92 km/h (4.3 knots) in water |
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The Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé or VAB (literally meaning "Armoured Forward Vehicle"; but more appropriately translated: "Armoured Vanguard Vehicle") is a French armoured personnel carrier and support vehicle designed and manufactured by Renault Trucks Defense (now known as Arquus). It entered French service in 1979 and around 5,000 were produced for the French Army as well as for export. It has seen combat in various conflicts in Africa, Asia as well as Europe and has also been exported to more than 15 countries.
A polyvalent military vehicle, the VAB has more than thirty variants and sub-variants. Beyond their common primary role of transporting personnel and equipment in combat zones, some VAB are tailored for mechanized infantry combat, some fulfill the role of anti-tank missile launchers, some of self-propelled mortars, some are optimized for electronic warfare, others act as reconnaissance or artillery observation vehicles, etc.
As of 2019, it still is the standard APC of the French Army but is gradually being replaced by its successors, the six-wheel VBMR Griffon (introduced in 2019) and the four-wheel VBMR-L Serval (introduced in 2022).