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Article: French taxi for Kabul: Nexter has recently opened the doors of its Roanne facilities in central France to unveil the production line of the new and very first production French Army armoured personnel carriers and command vehicles.(Technology Update)
- Article from:
- Armada International
- Article date:
- June 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Armada International. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By the time these lines are printed, the first production VBCIs will have been delivered to the French Army as part of an initial order for 65 units placed by the French Government in November 2000 (a contract that included full-scale development), making it the first new-generation vehicle of its kind to enter service. And active service the VBCI shall soon see, as its need in various operational theatres is badly concealed by the French Armee de Terre.
Technologically, and compared with its rivals (notably in the Fres context), the VBCI is quite unique as it is based on an aluminium hull. As a Nexter engineer explained to the ...