Peugeot P4

The P4 is an unarmoured off-road vehicle used by the military of France. It was manufactured by Peugeot but is now manufactured by Panhard. It is to be replaced with the PVP by Panhard. The P4 is a derivative of the Mercedes Geländewagen military version built under license by Peugeot for the French military. Peugeot did not have a licence to export the vehicle anywhere else than to the countries bound to France by defence agreements.

Description

The Peugeot P4 is a light, unarmoured, four-wheel-drive vehicle manufactured by Peugeot, and used by the Military of France under the designation of "Véhicule léger tout-terrain" ("Light all-terrain vehicle"). It is based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and equipped with Peugeot engine and equipment.

History

In the late 1960s, the French army decided that its 10,000 Jeeps needed to be replaced. The replacement vehicle would carry four men with radio equipment and would be small enough to be parachuted and transported by plane.

After many technical issues, the new vehicle was designed in the 1970s. Agreement was reached between Peugeot and Mercedes to co-produce the vehicle on a 50:50 basis. Peugeot installed the engine of the Peugeot 504 and the transmission of the Peugeot 604 on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class; it also installed the electrical systems, welded the exterior and painted the car. The rest was done by Mercedes. The plant in Sochaux did the final assembly. The first prototype was tested in 1978, beginning a long series of tests and trials, notably a rally in south Algeria with a petrol and a diesel P4.

The French Army ordered 15,000 P4s, both petrol and diesel versions; in 1981, the order was reduced to 13,500 units with the downsizing of the Army. From 1985, production was transferred to Panhard in Marolles-en-Hurepoix, where 6,000 vehicles were produced.

A civilian version was made, but encountered little success because of the high price and a poor power-to-weight ratio.

Versions

P4D

In 1992, the Army converted the petrol P4 to diesel P4D (P4 Diesel). Conversion was made by Panhard (1300 VLTT) and the Établissements régionaux du matériel. The engine, Peugeot 2.5L, is the same as the original diesel P4.

P4P

The P4 P (P4 Protégé, "protected P4") is an armoured version, with 80 units built in the 1990s. A Armored version was made at the request of Peugeot by CBH Institutions (Constructions Blindées of Hardricourt).

This version has been evaluated by the French Army and commissioned by the Navy for the Protection of sensitive sites. Five different versions were produced.

• P4 CBH AKIS 2400
• P4 CBH SUPER AKIS 2850
• P4 CBH 3120

The dimensions of 2400-2850 and 3120 matched the length of the chassis. Some P4 armored CBH have been manufactured for use in Lebanon. An operation Manufacturer and the GIGN was conducted in November 1988 for testing rolling over 24 hours. The P4 Shielded CBH AKIS blue police carried out the range of 1000 km to the average of 134.5 km per hour and the total distance of 3180 km in 24 hours is an average of 132.5 km / hour with 4 men on board. The engine was a 2.5-litre turbo exchanger amended by CBH, which had an output of 150 hp. This record was not approved at the request of the Gendarmerie.

P4 SAS

Version of the P4 for the Special Forces whose 1er RPIMa. They are equipped to have a great firepower and a high degree of autonomy:

• A machine gun MIT50 (calibre 12.7 mm) coaxial
• A machine gun-type ANF1 (7.62 mm calibre)
• River crossing equipment

See also

• Land Rover Defender
• Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Notes

External links

• Historique du Peugeot P4. (French)
• Mortinson on the Peugeot P-4

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peugeot P4.

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