VBRG



VBRG is an initialism for Véhicule Blindé a roue de la Gendarmerie or Gendarmerie Armored wheeled Vehicle.

The VBRG was built by Berliet and Saviem and is used by the French Gendarmerie for riot control (the gendarmerie is a military agency in charge of law enforcement).

The vehicle is equipped with an AANF1 7,62 mm machine gun (this weapon can only be used with the authorisation of the French prime minister) and a Cougar 40mm grenade launcher. The vehicle has 7mm of armor, anti-bullet wheels, it weighs 12.5 tonnes empty and 14 tonnes fully equipped.

length:5,99 m. Width:2,50 m.Height:2,05 m. Autonomy :750 km. Maximum speed:85 km/h Engine:	Berliet V8 diesel type 170 ch (147 kW).The VBRG can climb 60% slopes.

The VBRG can transport up to 12 gendarmerie personnel fully equipped. The vehicle's crew is composed of a driver and a gunner.

There are three types of VBRG's: command vehicle, dozer-blade vehicle (against heavy barricades), winch vehicle.

The unit in charge of the formation is the armored gendarmerie squadron 18/1 from Satory near Versailles. The vehicle has been used in Kosovo to support the NATO units in charge of law enforcement. There are many armored squadrons in France (Most of the vehicles aren't often used except for training).

The vehicle dates from 1970 and the French government is planning to replace it by the riot version of the Renault Sherpa 4x4 truck. It was originally an Armoured personnel carrier (its original name was Berliet VXB 170) but the production stopped in 1975 after Renault bought Berliet and decided to only keep one of the two Armoured personnel carriers (the Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé, or VAB).