VBC-90

VBC-90
Type Armoured car
Place of origin  France
Service history
Used by Mobile Gendarmerie
Royal Army of Oman
Production history
Manufacturer Renault Véhicules Industriels/Creusot-Loire
Specifications ([1])
Weight 13,500 kilograms (29,800 lb)
Length 5.63 m (18 ft 6 in)
8.135 m (26 ft 8.3 in) (gun forward)
Width 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in)
Height 2.552 m (8 ft 4.5 in)
Crew 3
Main
armament
 90 mm gun
Secondary
armament
 7.62 mm machine gun
Engine Renault MIDS 06.20.45 6 cylinder water-cooler diesel engine
160 kilowatts (220 hp)
Power/weight 16 hp/tonne
Suspension 6x6 wheel
Operational
range
 1,000 km (620 mi)
Speed 92 km/h (57 mph)

The Renault VBC-90 (Véhicule Blindé de Combat, or "Armoured Combat Vehicle") is a six-wheeled French armoured car carrying a 90mm gun mated to a sophisticated fire control computer and ranging system. Although lightly armoured, it can punch well above its weight and is a useful internal security vehicle.

Design

The VBC-90 was developed by Renault Véhicules Industriels based on Renault's Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé (VAB) wheeled armoured personnel carrier, which had been built in large numbers for the French army. Unlike the VAB, it was not designed to meet an official requirement, being intended to meet export requirements.[1]

It has a steel hull armoured to protect against small arms fire. It has a crew of three, with the driver sitting at the front of the vehicle with three bullet-proof windows provided for the driver. A GIAT TS 90 turret carries the commander and gunner, and carries an armament of a 90 mm cannon with a co-axial 7.62 mm machine gun. 20 rounds of 90 mm ammunition are carried in the turret, with a further 25 rounds in the hull.[1]

It is powered by a six-cylinder diesel engine mounted at the rear of the hull, driving a 6x6 drive. The vehicle is not amphibious, unlike the VAB on which it was based.[1]

History

The first prototype VBC-90 was completed in 1979.[2] The French Mobile Gendarmerie placed an order for 28 VBC-90s, with deliveries starting in 1983. A further six VBC-90s were purchased by Oman,[1] but no further production followed.[2]

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Foss 1987, pp. 179–181.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Foss 2002, p. 373.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to VBC-90.