Thirty-tons wheeled infantry fighting vehicles, called the VBCI, were stuck in deep mud during military exercise led by the French Army.
The French military was forced to use a bulldozer to get out stuck VBCI 8×8 fighting vehicles from muddy, according to a 28 February Facebook post by 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment( one of two combat engineer regiments in the French Foreign Legion, and part of the 6th Light Armoured Brigade).
The post reads, “The Summer weather of the last few days has not completely dried up the field of the champagne camps.“
The heavy VBCI infantry fighting vehicle developed by Nexter and entered active service with the French Army in 2008.
The VBCI is built on an aluminium hull which carries a modular THD steel and titanium armour, which can be replaced in the field. The 8×8 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.
According to Nexter, over 600 units have been delivered, and the VBCI infantry fighting vehicle has earned an enviable reputation as the French Army’s principal combat platform during all its recent expeditionary campaigns. From Afghanistan to Mali and Central African Republic, the VBCI’s reliability, protection, mobility and crew comfort have stood up to the test posed by the most demanding of operational environments.
As part of Operation Serval, the VBCI spearheaded the projection of French Forces into Mali over a distance of 2,400 km in 4 days. It was recently deployed in the UAE during the Gulf Falcon international military exercise led by the French Army.
