The VBTP is 7.0 metres long, 2.7 metres wide and 2.3 metres high and can be transported by C-130 Hercules and KC-390 aircrafts. It can be equipped with manned and unmanned turrets carrying armament from 5.56 mm to 30 mm calibre.

These new armoured vehicles have been developed jointly by Iveco and the Brazilian Army (DCT - Department of Science and Technology) following a frame contract signed in December 2009 for a total of 2,044 VBTP-MR vehicles. The frame contract value exceeds €2 billion and deliveries, which commenced in 2013, will be spread over a period to 2030.

The vehicles are being produced in a purpose-built facility in Sete Lagoas (Brazil). The Brazilian Army nomenclature for the VBTP vehicle is “Guarani”. The adoption of a modular approach to the vehicle’s construction provides several advantages. These include the development of product variants without the need for unnecessary re-engineering (reducing timescales and costs) and an optimised combination of power, protection, payload, operational flexibility and support through improved maintainability and upgrade ease. The Guarani may be configured to fulfil roles including personnel transportation, reconnaissance, recovery and ambulance work – extending the Army’s operational capability in scenarios which are particularly suited to this type of vehicle.

The use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) main assemblies ensures outstanding levels of reliability and consequently excellent fleet availability, ease of maintenance and low whole-life costs. VBTP sales successes: Following the contract signed in 2009 with the Brazilian Army for 2044 VBTP 6x6 vehicles, Iveco signed an agreement, in December 2014, to supply Lebanon with 10 VBTP 6x6 vehicles, as a part of a bigger contract for 80 military and police vehicles. This marks the first export contract for VBTP