Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie

VBCI
A VBCI registered '6094 0048', OURCQ 1918
Type	Infantry fighting vehicle
Place of origin	France
Service history
Wars	War in Afghanistan Operation Serval
Production history
Manufacturer	Giat Industries / Renault VI
Unit cost	€3.49m (VCI, FY2012) €2.74m (VPC, FY2012)
Produced	2008-2015 (planned)
No. built	510 VCI, 120 VPC (planned)
Specifications
Weight	VCI: 25.6 t (normal combat load). VPC: 23.3 t (normal combat load).
Length	7.6 m
Width	2.98 m
Height	3 m
Crew	3 + 9-man combat team
Armour	14.5 mm API
Main armament	Canon mitrailleur GIAT modèle M811 NATO calibre 25 mm (400 rounds/ minute)[2].
Secondary armament	co-axial 7.62 mm NATO machine gun
Engine	Renault Diesel 550 hp (410 kW)
Suspension	Wheel
Operational range	750 km (470 mi)
Speed	100 km/h (62 mph)

The Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie (VBCI, "Armoured vehicle for infantry combat") is a French Infantry fighting vehicle designed to replace the AMX-10P. They entered active service with the French Army in 2008, with 630 vehicles ordered up to 2010. Spain and the UK have shown interest in the vehicle.

The Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie is built on an aluminium hull which carries a modular THD steel and titanium armour, which can be replaced in the field. The 8x8 wheel combination is designed to make the VBCI more comfortable and less costly than a tracked vehicle, while giving it sufficient mobility to back the Leclerc tank. The VBCI is also designed to be transportable by the Airbus A400M, with an empty mass less than 18 tonnes (full load mass up to 28 tonnes).

In the early 1990s, the French government started the VBM (Véhicule Blindé Modulaire — Modular Armoured Vehicle) as a replacement for its older IFVs. Soon, Germany and the United Kingdom joined the project. At Eurosatory 1996, Renault unveiled the X8A, an eight-wheeled prototype in this erspective.

However, in 1999, the programme came to a dead-end, and France decided to carry on on its own and ordered 700 vehicles on 6 November 2000. In 2003-2004, the programme reached some major milestones: The mobility/agility tests, the armour tests and the electronic systems tests were all successful. From 2004 to 2005, the first 5 prototypes (4 VCIs and 1 VPC) were tested in real conditions. These tests proved some crucial design mistakes on the DRAGAR turret, which had to be redesigned. The 2 years delay in the programme are consequences of this design flaw.

As the programme reaches completion, other versions are being studied. A mortar version and a vehicle using the MILAN Missile have been considered by the developer. Note that none of these versions are being developed as of now, but feasibility studies are being conducted. In June 2007, VBCI was being considered for the British FRES programme.

France originally planned to buy 550 VCI and 150 of the VPC command version, but this was cut to 510 and 120 respectively with deliveries until 2015. The €3.49bn (FY2012) project will deliver 630 units at a unit cost of €3.49m (~US$4.8m) for the VCI and €2.74m (~US$3.7m) for the VPC, or €5.5m (~US$7.4m) per vehicle including development costs.