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2023-09-04

VBL Ultima: Light Armoured Vehicle of Choice

Over the years, the Arquus VBL has been appreciated for its versatility, mobility and adaptability, which makes it a vehicle of choice for reconnaissance, communications, mobile command post, anti-tank and general-purpose transport missions.

Many may know Arquus under its former names, such as Renault Trucks Defense, ACMAT and Panhard, although the company has now been present under its new identity for five years. The Panhard Véhicule Blindé Léger (light armoured vehicle), also known by its acronym Panhard VBL or VBL, is a French wheeled 4x4 all-terrain vehicle built by Panhard. 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 latest VBL Ultima is a new standard for the VBL, aimed at further enhancing the capabilities of the vehicle, developed for the French Army and currently being implemented by Arquus in their plant in Saint-Nazaire. A production line has specifically been set to ensure the success of this much-expected programme for a client.

Under this new standard, the original 95-horsepower diesel engine is being replaced by a new 130-horsepower diesel engine, as well as a new gearbox, allowing a speed greater than the 95 km/h of the original standard, as well as improved acceleration.

The upgraded VBLs also feature a new Brake Assist System and improved front and rear suspension systems to accommodate increased payload and improve vehicle handling. The new standard accommodates air conditioning to improve comfort during operations.

Arquus had recently delivered two VBL Ultima to the Hellenic Army. The VBL Ultima has received good reviews from Hellenic Army personnel. Throughout the years, the total number of vehicles delivered to Greece has reached 240, making it one of the largest VBL fleets in service in the world. The VBLs have since been serving in foreign deployments, sometimes even shoulder to shoulder with their French counterparts, who have appreciated the increase in mobility. As part of this commitment, Arquus has carried out numerous technology transfers to give the Hellenic Army operational autonomy for the maintenance of VBLs up to level 5.

Leveraging Local Know-how

Arquus is offering the Ultima upgrade package to the whole fleet of the Hellenic VBLs currently in service.

The modernisation of the Greek VBLs could take place in Greece at the Army depots or at the facility of a Greek industrial partner with the support of Arquus to benefit from local know-how and work capacities, as close as possible to the Army bases. The Army personnel who would take part in the upgrade programme would also receive training to become maintenance experts for the whole life cycle of the VBL Ultima fleet.

This upgrade would not cover the Marine units, which would need to keep their amphibious capability. However, several other units could benefit from the increase in performance.

Legacy Vehicle

The VBL 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. The French VBL programme started in 1978. Both Renault and Panhard proposed a prototype, with the trials beginning in 1982.

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 ULTRA M-11, has been produced at Marolles-en-Hurepoix, with 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.

The VBL has recently attracted renewed attention from countries looking for a new, light, stealthy reconnaissance, and combat vehicle. To address these needs, Arquus recently unveiled the VBL MK3, a new version of the VBL combining the upgrades of the VBL Ultima and other integrations, such a new dashboard and central tire inflation systems. Such developments underline the relevance of the VBL concept in an age where mobility, stealth, and systems integration matter as much as protection on the battlefield.

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