The French Army has taken delivery of the last upgraded
VBCI 8x8 IFV from Nexter. (IHS Markit/Patrick Allen)
Victor Barreira - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
20 September 2017
The French Army took delivery of the last upgraded Nexter
Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie (VBCI) 8x8 infantry fighting vehicle
(IFV), the service’s spokesperson recently told Jane’s .
Ninety-five out of a total of 520 29.3-tonne Véhicule de
Combat d'Infanterie (VCI) infantry fighting vehicles were modified to the
32-tonne version – 48 under a June 2013 contract and 47 under an August 2014
contract. The contract for the development of this version was awarded by the
Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA), the French procurement agency, to
Nexter and Renault Trucks Defense on 20 December 2010. Qualification of the new
version was announced on 24 September 2014.
In addition, another three DGA prototypes are now being
upgraded by Nexter to the 32-tonne version by the end of the year.
Sixteen of the modified vehicles are currently fielded in
overseas operations with a unit of the 35th Infantry Regiment, which will soon
be replaced by a company from the ‘Marche du Tchad’ Regiment.
The upgrade was aimed at increasing the VBCI’s payload
and protection, including installation of a slat armour system to protect
against rocket-propelled grenades, a jamming system, and a 1.6-tonne
under-belly mine and improvised explosive devices protection kit, the army
said. The tires were replaced and the wheels were reinforced; the suspension,
brakes, central tire inflation system, software and anti-roll bars were
improved; and a steering assistance jack was added.
Between 2008 and 2015, France received 520 VCIs with
Tarask turrets armed with a 25 mm 25M811 dual-feed cannon, and 110 Véhicule
Poste de Commandement (VPC) command posts with 12.7 mm FN Herstal ARROWS remote
weapon stations and Airbus SIR regimental information systems.
Original post: janes.com
Image showing VBCI Nexter with PG-GUARD Bar Armour - defencesummits.wordpress.com
VBCI Nexter infantry fighting vehicle: Details
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