18 January 2001

The Société de Constructions Mécaniques Panhard et Levassor developed the Panhard Véhicule Blindé Leger (VBL) in the late 1980s to meet the French Army's requirement for a new light reconnaissance/anti-tank vehicle. The first production vehicle was completed for the French Army in 1990.

There are two basic versions of the VBL: combat/ anti-tank with a three-person crew and armed with one 7.62mm machine gun; and intelligence/scout with a two-person crew and armed with one 7.62mm and one 12.7mm machine gun. The standard production VBL has a wheelbase of 2.45m, but the vehicle can also be built with a wheelbase of 2.7m, which increases the vehicle's internal volume.

Fully amphibious, the VBL is propelled in the water by a single propeller mounted under the rear of the hull. It has a maximum water speed of 4.5km/h.

Standard equipment includes an NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection system and passive night-vision equipment. All production VBLs are fitted with a central tyre-pressure regulation system and power steering, but there are many options including an NBC system and air-conditioning system.

Specifications

Crew: 2 - 3

Configuration: 4 x 4

Armament: 1x 7.62mm machine gun

Combat weight: 3,590kg

Power-to-weight ratio: 29.7hp/tonne

Power pack: Peugeot XD3T, four-cylinder turbocharged diesel developing 105hp coupled to ZF automatic transmission

Length: 3.87m

Width: 2.02m

Height: 1.7m (hull top)

Max speed: 95km/h

Range: 600km

Airportable: C-130 Hercules

Status

In production. More than 1,300 built; more are under way. In service with Benin (10); Cameroon (5); Djibouti (7); France (1,000 plus); Gabon (12); Greece (13); Indonesia (18); Kuwait (20); Mexico (40); Niger (7); Nigeria (72); Oman (51); Portugal (18); Qatar (16); Rwanda (2) and Togo (2).

Variants

Many versions: some have turret-mounted machine guns, cannon or grenade launchers, Raytheon Systems Company TOW anti-tank guided missile, Matra BAe Dynamics Mistral SAM system, radar carrier and internal security.

Manufacturer

Société de Constructions Mécaniques Panhard et Levassor, Paris, France

The Société de Constructions Mécaniques Panhard et Levassor developed the Panhard Véhicule Blindé Leger (VBL) in the late 1980s (Source: Panhard)