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VBCI in production
Thursday, 13 September, 2007
Nexter Systems’ facility at Roanne is now building the French Army’s VBCI (Véhicule Blindé de Combat d’Infanterie) family of 8x8 vehicles and first production units will be delivered early next year for training. The French Army is expected to order a total of 700 VBCI in the infantry fighting vehicle (550) and command post (150) variants.
First tranche covers 65 units — 54 IFV and 11 command post vehicles — with 20 of these to be delivered by July 2008. The French defence ministry confirmed at DSEi that a contract for the second tranche of 120 will be placed this year.
Shown at DSEi is the second prototype IFV fitted with a new turret armed with a 25mm cannon and 7.62mm co-axial MG. Command post vehicle is armed with a Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS), additional communications equipment and battalion battle management system.
Nexter Systems has also completed, using company funding, a demonstrator that is currently taking part in Trials of Truth at Bovington Camp in southern England for the UK FRES requirement. This is fitted with a Selex Enforcer RCWS armed with a .50 (12.7mm) M2 HB machine gun. Baseline VBCI has an allwelded aluminium armour hull to which a variety of appliqué armours can be added according to the threat level.
To support the VBCI in French Army service, a complete training package will be supplied as well as integrated logistic support. A number of specialised versions are already being studied by Nexter Systems for the French Army and export, including mortar carrier and an anti-tank missile vehicle. Design of the VBCI is such that it could be rapidly adopted for UK-specific roles such as command post or ambulance with a higher roof.
As VBCI is already in production, Nexter Systems would be able to meet the required in-service date of the FRES UV. It is also open to industrial joint ventures and the UK would have full intellectual property rights to modify and upgrade the vehicle throughout its service life.
The company is already in discussions with a number of potential UK industrial partners for production of the VBCI in the UK. This could lead to export sales of the VBCI in a number of countries. Nexter Systems will hold a UK industry day on 2 October with the aim of establishing a dialogue with UK contacts.
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