VAB Mk 3 Armored Personnel Carriers for Ukraine

VAB Mk 3 with one of the compatible weapon stations
Since 2022, France has repeatedly transferred various combat armored vehicles to Ukraine, and the latest delivery of equipment took place just a few days ago. Kyiv received the first batch of VAB Mk 3 wheeled armored personnel carriers. In the near future, Ukrainian crews will master the new equipment and then go with it to the combat zone, where nothing good awaits them.
On a wheeled chassis
In mid-2022, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces announced its intention to transfer a "significant number" of VAB armored personnel carriers to Ukraine. The basic two-wheeled modification of the vehicles was planned to be taken from units of its own ground forces. During 2022-2023, about 250-260 vehicles in various modifications were delivered.
In September 2023, it became known that a French-Ukrainian agreement on joint work in the field of armored vehicles was being prepared. France, represented by Arquus Defense, and a number of Ukrainian enterprises were to establish repair and maintenance processes for combat vehicles. In addition, the possibility of launching the assembly of French equipment in Ukraine was not ruled out.
According to known data, within the framework of such cooperation, Kyiv wanted to receive modern VBCI type armored personnel carriers from Paris. However, the French side refused to supply them and offered an alternative option. Deliveries of the proposed equipment began literally in the last few days.
On January 26, 2025, French industry blogs reported on the delivery of a new batch of combat vehicles. They received information about this from their unnamed sources familiar with the situation.

APC at the training ground
It is claimed that six VAB Mk 3 armoured personnel carriers manufactured by Arquus Defense were recently delivered to Ukraine. These vehicles are equipped with Ukrainian-developed Sich combat modules. The production and delivery of this equipment was carried out within the framework of bilateral cooperation and without the involvement of other countries.
It is expected that the first batch of VAB Mk 3 will be kept in the rear for some time and used for training. After completing the training, the crews of the armored vehicles will be sent to the combat zone. It is not known in which units and how the French APCs are going to be used.
Arquus Defense is expected to manufacture and ship new batches of its armored personnel carriers to Ukraine in the near future. The delivery plan for the modern VAB Mk 3 has not yet been published, and it is unknown how many of these vehicles are going to be delivered to Kyiv.
Last modification
The basic two-axle VAB armoured personnel carrier was created back in the late seventies and has been repeatedly improved since then. In 2012, Renault Trucks Defense (now Arquus Defense) presented a version of a deep modernization of the existing vehicle. The VAB Mk 3 project envisaged the rebuilding of the existing armoured hull, the transition to a three-axle chassis, etc.
The three-axle APC was actively promoted on the international market in anticipation of orders from various countries. The first successes in this matter were achieved several years after the first demonstration of the vehicle. In addition, Renault Trucks Defense signed a contract with the American company MACK Defense, which was to fulfill part of the orders for the construction of the APC.

The first customer for the new APC was Saudi Arabia in 2016. It wanted to buy 100 of these vehicles in the MACK version. Some of the equipment was supposed to be transferred to friendly Lebanon as military aid. In 2024, an order was placed by Tunisia. This country will also receive its first VAB Mk 3 in the near future.
According to the latest news, in 2023-2024 Arquus Defense received a new order for an unknown number of APCs. The recipient of this equipment will be Ukraine, and the order will be paid for by France. Participation and assistance of third countries in this project is not planned.
Technical features
The VAB Mk 3 is the result of a deep modernization and redesign of an existing armored vehicle created more than 40 years ago. During the development of this project, a number of key units were redesigned, various systems were improved, etc. The result was an increase in some technical and operational characteristics.
The new APC has an extended armoured hull, providing protection against bullets and shrapnel. The hull's own armour is supplemented with add-on armour plates. In this configuration, the vehicle complies with NATO STANAG 4 level 4569 and can withstand 14,5 mm bullets and shrapnel with equivalent energy.
The layout and general contours of the hull did not change during the modernization. The nose of the vehicle contains the control compartment, behind which is the engine compartment. By lengthening the hull, it was possible to increase the aft compartment, intended for the landing force.

The APC is equipped with a Renault MD7 diesel engine with a capacity of 400 hp. It is connected to an automatic gearbox and transmission, which distributes torque to all wheels. The three-axle chassis is made on existing units. An individual suspension with torsion bars and hydropneumatic shock absorbers is used.
The three-axle armored personnel carrier is over 8 m long; the remaining dimensions correspond to the basic VAB. The combat weight has increased to 20 tons. At the same time, a more powerful engine has allowed maintaining mobility and cross-country ability at the same level.
The VAB Mk 3 APC has a two-man crew in the forward section of the hull. It has its own side doors and a large windshield. Eight troops are accommodated in the rear of the hull. They must use the rear doors. The troop compartment has armoured glazing on the sides, but there are no firing ports.
The VAB Mk 3 can be equipped with various armament options or remotely controlled combat modules. APCs for Ukraine receive Ukrainian-made Sich modules. This is a compact remote-controlled turret equipped with a 30-mm ZTM-1 cannon (a copy of the 2A72), a PKT machine gun and an AG-30 grenade launcher. The module has day and night optics for guidance and a gun stabilizer. Control is carried out from a remote control in the cabin.
Update problem
The main feature of the VAB Mk 3 APC is obvious - in essence, it is an armored vehicle from the late seventies, modified taking into account the experience and technologies of the early XNUMXs. This approach to the development of the project should have provided certain advantages, but had certain limitations.

Control compartment. The driver's (left) and the commander-operator's (right) stations are visible.
By deeply upgrading the existing armoured personnel carrier, Renault/Arquus has been able to improve its protection, mobility and cross-country ability, as well as increase its capacity. In all key respects, the new Mk 3 is superior to the basic VAB product.
However, despite all the improvements, the design is still based on solutions from past decades. This imposes serious restrictions on modernization and its results. It can be assumed that in terms of protection, firepower and mobility, the VAB Mk 3 is not fundamentally different from the basic two-axle vehicle.
The appearance of such equipment in the area of the Special Operation to Protect Donbass will lead to clear consequences. It should be recalled that the Russian army has already destroyed several dozen previously delivered VAB APCs. Accordingly, there is no reason to believe that the new Mk 3 will be able to protect themselves from a wide range of our weapons.
The size of the fleet must also be taken into account. France previously transferred a large number of VAB APCs to Ukraine, but some of them have already been lost. Deliveries of new Mk 3s will soon be limited to small batches. As a result, the fleet of modern French APCs will quickly face the problem of unacceptable losses.
Help with benefits
Thus, foreign partners are once again trying to help friendly Kyiv, but the prospects for such support are already clear. New armored personnel carriers will not help Ukraine and will not change the situation on the front.
At the same time, the French company will have the opportunity to earn money from the production and supply of armored vehicles. At the same time, France and Arquus Defense are not the first to implement such a “help” scheme.
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