Under an urgent operational requirement, on June 15 2011, the French defense procurement agency (DGA) ordered kits from Renault Trucks Defense for integrating the Javelin anti-tank missile system into the VAB armoured personnel carrier.

Integrating Javelin into this vehicle will make the weapon system easier to use for French Army units deployed in Afghanistan. The VAB is actually the first armoured vehicle to have this missile integrated for transport in a tactical vehicle.

The Javelin was ordered in 2010 to enhance the firepower of infantry units in Afghanistan. In less than six months, Renault Trucks Defense designed, developed and tested an integration kit allowing six missiles, two firing posts and two tripods to be carried inside the VAB.

This integration is currently being carried out on-site by users in Eryx VABs already deployed in theatre. The ten kits were delivered from the Renault Trucks Defense Fourchambault site on October 14.

The VAB is the most widely-used armoured vehicle in all the theatres in which the French Army operates, with over 500 vehicles of this type deployed in the Afghanistan theatre. Weighing over 13 tonnes, they are capable of performing a wide range of roles, including transporting infantry, providing direct support for troops in contact, or acting as mobile command posts.

Each year improvements are made to the VAB program in a partnership between the manufacturer, the DGA and the French Army Technical Department (STAT).

Renault Trucks Defense
01.12.2011