News

2012-09-01

VAB Mk3

The VAB Mk3 was designed with 30 years of experience with the famous VAB family but is a brand new vehicle. It retains the proven generic architecture of the VAB while being a bit longer and higher to augment the internal volume for the crew. It also retains the 2.55 meters width of the VAB for excellent urban and strategic mobility.

At 20 tonnes of GVW, the VAB Mk3 offers sufficient payload to accommodate various mission and weapon systems. It is also designed with a high level of survivability for the crew: ballistic protection up to NATO level 4 (Stanag 4569) and mine / IED protection up to a MRAP level.

Renault Trucks Defense has envisioned several variants thanks to the modular VAB Mk3 platform: armored personnel carrier, infantry combat vehicle, ambulance, ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance and targeting), 120 mm mortar carrier and command post. An open and progressive electronic architecture developed by Renault Trucks Defense is also fitted to reinforce the modularity and scalability of the vehicle while enhancing combat efficiency of the complete system.

Engine

The VAB Mk3 is powered by a 320 or 340 hp Renault engine with a 400 hp engine as a later option. It is fitted with independent suspensions, all-wheel drive (6x6), an automatic gearbox and a central tire inflation system (CTIS) for all-terrain mobility. The vehicle can cross a 0.5 meters vertical obstacle or a 0.9 m trench. It has a max speed of 105 km/h. The VAB Mk3 is also fully amphibious and air transportable by C-130 in some configurations.

The VAB Mk3 vehicle is promoted as an ideal candidate to replace previous generation multirole vehicles like the French VAB, the American M113 or the Russian BTR. It offers a very high level of protection - up to MRAP levels - but with a far better off-road mobility and a complete multirole capability. The VAB Mk3 is moreover much more affordable than current 8x8 armored vehicles while offering up to 80% of their capabilities.

The VAB Mk3 prototype shown at Eurosatory is equipped with a BAE Systems TRT-25 remotely operated turret. With the TRT-25 or other medium caliber turrets (one man or remotely operated), the VAB Mk3 is able to carry 3 crew members plus 7 infantrymen and becomes a real light infantry combat vehicle.

Thales and Renault Trucks Defense

At Eurosatory 2012, Thales and Renault Trucks Defense (RTD) have joined forces to extend the capabilities of the VAB Mk3. Under this partnership, the VAB Mk3 new-generation armoured personnel carrier benefits from new capabilities. Each crew station, fully configurable to the type of mission, displays the real-time image from a turret-mounted camera, providing the three main operators (infantry squad leader, gunner and driver) with a shared picture of the tactical environment. The turret is also slaved to a hostile fire detection system, enabling the crew to respond more quickly and more efficiently to threats.

The vehicle's internal and external communications capabilities are a particular area of focus. The radio system, coupled with the vehicle's core electronics, ensures voice and data links with the rest of the digitised battlespace, particularly other armoured vehicles. In addition, the VAB Mk3's internal communication network offers extended range for dismounted operations, enabling infantry to stay in radio contact at distances up to 1,000 metres from the vehicle, depending on which options customers choose.

Lastly, an exclusive navigation aid incorporating route profiles and terrain information,coupled with a hybrid GPS / inertial navigation system, ensures a high level of geopositioning accuracy and can also be connected to a target designation system. For the pilot, further capabilities include a driving aid with day and night video feeds. Vehicle logistics data such as fuel, munitions, etc. can also be relayed to higher levels of command, allowing the crew to autonomously manage its energy use to maximise the VAB Mk3's endurance for very long missions.

Enabling collaborative combat

All these services are integrated within the complementary open architectures developed by Renault Trucks Defense and Thales.

The “Battlenet Inside” system used by Renault Trucks Defense and based on the electronic architectures developed by Volvo interconnects all the vehicle systems and allows them to operate collaboratively. Based on electronic architectures developed for commercial markets, “Battlenet Inside” brings the benefits of COTS solutions to the battlespace after extensive testing on large fleets of commercial vehicles.

Thales's “VSys-net” solution inserts the VAB Mk3 into a broader digitised sphere of engagement. As a result, the crew are able to work collaboratively both within the vehicle and with other platforms (armoured vehicles, UAVs, artillery, etc.). The “VSys-net” solution draws on Thales's extensive experience in artillery coordination, reconnaissance vehicle and combat vehicle digitisation programmes in France and around the world.

Through this partnership, Renault Trucks Defense and Thales are able to offer the very best and most cost-effective technical solutions for future programmes and ensure continuing development and support as new requirements emerge.

Technical Specification: (Approximate)

Length: 5.9m

Width : 2.5m

Height: 2.2m

GVW : 20 tonnes

Engine

Speed: 105 km/h

Output Power: 320 / 340 hp

Transmission: Automatic (6 forward gears and 1 reverse)

Protection

Ballistic protection according STANAG

Mines (Stanag level 3A and 2B), IED, passive and active protection