VAB vs VBCI: how to tell them apart

Easy to mix up at a glance. Here is what tells them apart.

VAB

Armoured personnel carrier, France. In service since 1976

What gives it away

Boxy wheeled APC with a big angled windscreen and a square, cab-like nose; looks like an armoured truck.

Used by

France, Ukraine, Lebanon and many others

VBCI

Infantry fighting vehicle, France. In service since 2008

What gives it away

Large eight-wheeled IFV with flat, slab-sided armour and a small one-man turret with a 25 mm cannon set near the front.

Used by

France

Where they differ

What they share

These won’t tell them apart.

• Wheeled
• Engine at the front
• Evenly spaced axles

VAB · VBCI · All guides