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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. Other countries like Spain 〔(GTD y NEXTER Systems firman un acuerdo de colaboración para el desarrollo del Futuro Vehículo Blindado 8x8 )〕 and the UK 〔(David Cameron: UK and France 'as close as ever' )〕 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). == History == In the early 90s, 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. However, in 1999, the programme came to a dead-end, and France decided to carry on on its own and ordered 700 vehicles on November 6, 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.〔(Drayson: New vehicles will have "vital part to play in the Army of the future" )〕 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.〔 The 200th VBCI was delivered to the French army on 23 June 2010. The 400th VBCI was delivered to the French army on 12 June 2012. The first unit to be equipped with the new infantry fighting vehicle was the 35th Infantry Regiment in Belfort.〔 (Présentation de la formation "VBCI" au 35e régiment d'infanterie. )〕 The 500th VBCI was delivered to the French Army on 8 July 2013. Delivery of 110 command post vehicles has been completed.〔(French army takes delivery of the 500th VBCI 8x8 armoured infantry fighting vehicle ) - Armyrecognition.com, 8 July 2013〕 At Eurosatory 2014, Nexter unveiled improvements to the VBCI IFV variant following trials. The rear wheels have steering to reduce its turning radius to 20 meters, and rear internal volume was increased by moving electrical equipment to the front of the vehicle. To make room for the equipment, the driver's seat was pulled back and two sloping angles were added to the front end for the driver to maintain visibility.〔(Nexter modifies VBCI troop carrier ) - Shephardmedia.com, 18 June 2014〕 In September 2014, the French Army Procurement Agency (DGA) declared the qualification of a new version of the VBCI with a 32-ton gross vehicle weight, compared to 29 tons previously. The increase in gross weight allows the vehicle to have better protection and preserves its capability to be upgraded.〔(French army procurement agency qualifies new 32 tons variant Nexter VBCI infantry fighting vehicle ) - Armyrecognition.com, 2 October 2014〕 The 32-ton configuration will be delivered to the French armed forces starting in 2015.〔(French Defense Procurement Agency Qualifies the 32 Tons VBCI Armored Vehicle ) - Deagel.com, 2 October 2014〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Véhicule blindé de combat d'infanterie」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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