Vikings in France

The French military procurement agency received the first of 53 articulated transporters BvS 10 Viking II. The vehicle is in France under the designation VHM.

French Viking. His purchase was unusual for several reasons. He was the first of several decades in which the French decided on military equipment from the British. What's more, VHM defeated a similar car in the tender Bronco sold by Singaporean ST Kinetics, but co-created by the French Thales plants. Rejection partly own equipment was previously impossible. Finally, a similar procedure in the UK gave in 2008 ... different outcome: acceptance and rejection Bronco Viking / Photo: DGA


DGA has ordered 53 truck transporters at the end of 2009. Vehicles, the latest and the greatest variety of Viking, containing solutions, which called for the creation of action in Afghanistan, are produced in the Swedish plants Hägglunds, which is now part of BAE Systems.


The adaptation of vehicles to the requirements of the user corresponds to the French Panhard. This company installs a native weapons (machine guns, 7.62 or 12.7 mm, depending on the version), communications and command systems. Deliveries should be completed with the passage of 2012.


14-ton vehicle is listed under the name of the car high mobility (à haute véhicules mobilité, VHM). It is designed to carry 11 fully equipped soldiers Felin system (see: FELINE in the service ). Delivery of the first vehicle was preceded by several months of delivery-acceptance tests, carried out in the whole spectrum of areas, from testing the buoyancy - including at sea - on a stir in the high mountains, with snow cover (Vikings originally were designed as an arctic wszędołazy).