The French VBL programme started in 1978.
The French Army was looking for a light reconnaissance vehicle, intended to work with the AMX-10 RC "wheeled tank", the Hotchkiss M201 jeep being obsolete when compared with the Soviet BRDM-2 armoured car.
The new vehicle needed to be armed with a single machine gun for reconnaissance (recce) or with the MILAN missile for anti-tank combat, while being protected from NBC hazards and small arms fire.
Both Renault and Panhard proposed a prototype, the trials beginning in 1982.
Before its selection by the French armed forces in 1985, the Panhard model was ordered by the Mexican Army in 1984.
In 1985, a preproduction of 15 vehicles for the French Army was launched while the VBL started its active operational service in the French Army in 1990.
The French Army ordered 569 VBLs in 1990, 330 between 1994 and 1997, and 700 VB2L (lengthened variant) before 2004.
The VBL, sold abroad as the ULTRAV M-11 has been produced at Marolles-en-Hurepoix, 30 km (19 mi) south of Paris.
Around ten vehicles were produced each month in 2004.
The 1,500th VBL was produced in 2001 and the last VBL of the 2,600 VBLs left the plant in 2010.

The VBL has two compartments: a motor bay, placed forward to protect the second compartment, which is for the crew.
Its compact internal dimensions led to the design of a lengthened version of the VBL.
The crew of the VBL is protected against NBC weapons.
The recce versions have two crew members while the anti-tank versions have a crew of three.

The French Army version of the VBL is equipped with a Peugeot XD3T turbo-diesel engine.
This engine is used on many civilian cars, such as the Peugeot 505, Peugeot 605 and Talbot Tagora.
The VBL used many other standard civilian components, too.
Its 95 horsepower (71 kW) power and 29.5 hp/t (22.0 kW/t) power ratio enable the VBL to drive at 95 km/h (59 mph).
It has a fuel consumption of 16 litres (3.5 imp gal; 4.2 US gal) per 100 km (62 mi).
Its range of 600 km (370 mi) can be extended to 800 km (500 mi) by two external fuel tanks.
Designed to be lighter than 3.5 t (3.4 long tons; 3.9 short tons), the mass of the VBL has increased to 4 t (3.9 long tons; 4.4 short tons) due to the addition of more weapons, armour and systems.

The VBL is fully amphibious and drives at 5.4 km/h (3.4 mph) in water; it is also air transportable by C-130, C-160, Il-76 and A400M. It can be transported underslung by larger helicopters, such as the AS332 Super Puma, and may also be para-dropped.
The French VBL programme started in 1978. The French Army was looking for a light reconnaissance vehicle, intended to work with the AMX-10 RC "wheeled tank", the Hotchkiss M201 jeep being obsolete when compared with the Soviet BRDM-2 armoured car. The new vehicle needed to be armed with a single machine gun for reconnaissance (recce) or with the MILAN missile for anti-tank combat, while being protected from NBC hazards and small arms fire. Both Renault and Panhard proposed a prototype, the trials beginning in 1982. Before its selection by the French armed forces in 1985, the Panhard model was ordered by the Mexican Army in 1984. In 1985, a preproduction of 15 vehicles for the French Army was launched while the VBL started its active operational service in the French Army in 1990. The French Army ordered 569 VBLs in 1990, 330 between 1994 and 1997, and 700 VB2L (lengthened variant) before 2004. The VBL, sold abroad as the ULTRAV M-11 has been produced at Marolles-en-Hurepoix, 30 km (19 mi) south of Paris. Around ten vehicles were produced each month in 2004. The 1,500th VBL was produced in 2001 and the last VBL of the 2,600 VBLs left the plant in 2010.
The VBL has two compartments: a motor bay, placed forward to protect the second compartment, which is for the crew. Its compact internal dimensions led to the design of a lengthened version of the VBL. The crew of the VBL is protected against NBC weapons. The recce versions have two crew members while the anti-tank versions have a crew of three.
The French Army version of the VBL is equipped with a Peugeot XD3T turbo-diesel engine. This engine is used on many civilian cars, such as the Peugeot 505, Peugeot 605 and Talbot Tagora. The VBL used many other standard civilian components, too. Its 95 horsepower (71 kW) power and 29.5 hp/t (22.0 kW/t) power ratio enable the VBL to drive at 95 km/h (59 mph). It has a fuel consumption of 16 litres (3.5 imp gal; 4.2 US gal) per 100 km (62 mi). Its range of 600 km (370 mi) can be extended to 800 km (500 mi) by two external fuel tanks. Designed to be lighter than 3.5 t (3.4 long tons; 3.9 short tons), the mass of the VBL has increased to 4 t (3.9 long tons; 4.4 short tons) due to the addition of more weapons, armour and systems.
The VBL is fully amphibious and drives at 5.4 km/h (3.4 mph) in water; it is also air transportable by C-130, C-160, Il-76 and A400M. It can be transported underslung by larger helicopters, such as the AS332 Super Puma, and may also be para-dropped.
Véhicule Blindé Léger