Thales and Renault Trucks present joint digitised vehicle solution.

The vehicle's internal and external communications capabilities are a particular area of focus. The radio system, coupled with the vehicle's core electronics, ensures voice and data links with the rest of the digitised battlespace, particularly other armoured vehicles. In addition, the VAB Mk3's internal communication network offers extended range for dismounted operations, enabling infantry to stay in radio contact at distances up to 1,000 metres from the vehicle, depending on which options customers choose.

Lastly, an exclusive navigation aid incorporating route profiles and terrain information, coupled with ahybrid GPS / inertial navigation system, ensures a high level of geopositioning accuracy and can also be connected to a target designation system. For the pilot, further capabilities include a driving aid with day and night video feeds. Vehicle logistics data (fuel, munitions, etc.) can also be relayed to higher levels of command, allowing the crew to autonomously manage its energy use to maximise the VAB Mk3's endurance for very long missions.

Enabling collaborative combat

All these services are integrated within the complementary open architectures developed by Renault Trucks Defense and Thales.

The “Battlenet Inside” system used by Renault Trucks Defense and based on the electronic architectures developed by Volvo interconnects all the vehicle systems and allows them to operate collaboratively. Based on electronic architectures developed for commercial markets, “Battlenet Inside” brings the benefits of COTS solutions to the battlespace after extensive testing on large fleets of commercial vehicles.

Thales's “VSys-net” solution inserts the VAB Mk3 into a broader digitised sphere of engagement. As a result, the crew are able to work collaboratively both within the vehicle and with other platforms (armoured vehicles, UAVs, artillery, etc.). The “VSys-net” solution draws on Thales's extensive experience in artillery coordination, reconnaissance vehicle and combat vehicle digitisation programmes in France and around the world.

Visit Renault Trucks Defense at Eurosatory 2012 OUT P3 sud A 520
Visit Thales at Eurosatory 2012 OUT P3 sud A 690