The VAB 4x4 is a modern French armored vehicle. The first prototypes were built in the early 1970s, and mass production began in 1974. To date, about 5,000 vehicles of this type have been built. The drive is provided by a single Renault MDR engine with a capacity of 255 hp. Armament depends on the version, but in the basic model it is a single 7.62 mm AA52 machine gun.
The VAB 4x4 was created in response to the demand of the French armed forces in the early 1970s for a new basic amphibious armored personnel carrier. The VAB provides the ability to transport up to 10 landing parties, is characterized by a high maximum speed (over 100 km/h) and good mobility. It is assumed that it can overcome water obstacles without special training. The armor is made of armor plates that provide protection against small arms and artillery fragments. During the production process, the VAB was created on a four- and six-wheel chassis (4x4 or 6x6). These versions, in turn, were modernized. As a result, several specialized versions of the VAB were created, for example: VAB MILAN and VAB ERYX (versions with anti-tank guided missiles), VAB RATAC (observation version for artillery units) or VAB Gene (engineering version). Vehicles of this type were sold to many countries, including: Brunei, Chad, Cyprus, Morocco and Kuwait. VAB transporters also participated in many armed conflicts, mainly in the 1990-1991 Gulf War or during the intervention in Afghanistan.
