Lebanese armed forces to purchase French VBC 90 armoured and CAESAR 155mm howitzers 2510142

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Defence & Security News - Lebanon
 
 
 
Saturday, October 25, 2014 01:07 PM
 
Lebanese armed forces to purchase French VBC 90 armoured and CAESAR 155mm howitzers.
French president François Hollande has approved the sale of defence and security equipment to Lebanon under a USD3 billion contract grant from Saudi Arabia to help it fight jihadis encroaching into Lebanon from Syria, French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on 8 October. The French military equipment for Lebanon includes, VBC-90 armoured vehicle, Caesar 155mm howitzer, Mistral missile systems, AS 532 Cougar helicopter and and Combattante FS56 fast attack long range craft.
     
French president François Hollande has approved the sale of defence and security equipment to Lebanon under a USD3 billion contract grant from Saudi Arabia to help it fight jihadis encroaching into Lebanon from Syria. The French military equipment for Lebanon includes, VBC-90 armoured vehicles, Caesar 155mm howitzers, Mistral missile systems, AS 532 Cougar helicopters and and Combattante FS56 fast attack long range craft. Currently, the Lebanese armed armed forces are equipped with very old military equipment.
     

Lebanon, which is still rebuilding after its own 15-year civil war, has also seen clashes between gunmen loyal to opposing sides of the Syrian conflict, as well as militant strikes on the army and cross-border attacks by Syrian rebels.

Jihadis attacked and briefly seized the Lebanese border town of Arsal in August and since then the army has stepped up its efforts to prevent fighters, most notably from al Qaeda's Syrian wing Nusra Front, from crossing into Lebanon.

The military equipment and armoured vehicles military equipment that will be delivered by France to the Lebanese armed forces include vehicle-mounted Mistral short-range air-defence systems, 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, surplus VBC-90 armoured combat vehicles, CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzers, Eurocopter AS 532 Cougar helicopters, and Combattante FS56 fast attack long range craft armed with the Simbad air-defence systems and 20 mm Narwhal guns.

The Mistral is a very short-range air defence missile system developed by the French Company Matra in 1980, which is now MBDA. The basic Mistral missile is used with a man-portable launch unit. The missile is armed with a 3kg high-explosive warhead with a range up to 6 km. In the French army, the Mistral launch unit is mounted at the rear of Renault TRM 2000 light truck.

     
French army Mistral air defense missile system mounted on Renault TRM 2000 light truck.
     
The VBC 90 is a 6x6 armoured vehicle manufactured by the French Company Renault based on the VAB 4x4 armoured personnel carrier. The VBC 90 has been used by the French Gendarmerie since 1983 and now it is no longer in service.

The VBC 90 is armed with a long-barrelled Giat Industries 90 mm F1 gun with a 35º oblique wedge breech block, a hydropneumatic recoil system, a thermal sleeve and a muzzle brake. There are 20 rounds of ready to use 90 mm ammunition carried, four in the turret basket and 16 in the turret bustle.

Mounted coaxially to the left of the main armament is a 7.62 mm machine gun and there are two electrically operated 80 mm smoke grenade dischargers mounted either side of the turret towards the rear.
     
The military equipment and armoured vehicles military equipment that will be delivered by France to the Lebanese armed forces include vehicle-mounted Mistral short-range air-defence systems, 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, surplus VBC-90 armoured combat vehicles, CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzers, Eurocopter AS 532 Cougar helicopters, and Combattante FS56 fast attack long range craft armed with the Simbad air-defence systems and 20 mm Narwhal guns.A VBC-90 6x6 armoured vehicle of the French Gendarmerie.
     
The CAESAR is 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer designed and manufactured by the French Defense Company Nexter. The first version of the French Caesar was based on a modified Mercedes-Benz UNIMOG U 2450 L (6 × 6) truck chassis.

In the French Army, the Caesar is based on a Renault Sherpa 5 6x6 truck chassis. This system consisting of a 155 mm / 52 calibre gun mounted on 6x6 chassis combines fire power and unusual mobility.

The Caesar is armed with a 155/ 52 calibre gun and it can fire any 155 mm NATO standard munition (39 or 52 calibre) and particularly Nexter Munitions LU211 shell. It can also fire BONUS type munitions, or VLAP munitions extending its range up to 55 km. Its five-man crew can make the Caesar system ready for action in less than one minute and take it out of action equally quickly, thus avoiding counter-battery firing. The Caesar carries a total of 18 rounds.
     
     
The Eurocopter AS532 Cougar is a twin-engine, medium-weight, multipurpose helicopter developed by the French Company Eurocopter, now Airbus Helicopters. Used in the army as a troop carrier it could seat twelve occupants.

As a a multirole helicopter, the Cougar can be armed with machine-guns and pod-mounted cannons, with rockets, or with antisubmarine or antisurface weapon systems to suit different mission requirements.
     
The military equipment and armoured vehicles military equipment that will be delivered by France to the Lebanese armed forces include vehicle-mounted Mistral short-range air-defence systems, 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, surplus VBC-90 armoured combat vehicles, CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzers, Eurocopter AS 532 Cougar helicopters, and Combattante FS56 fast attack long range craft armed with the Simbad air-defence systems and 20 mm Narwhal guns.Eurocopter AS532 Cougar transport helicopter
     
The Combattante FS56 developed by the French Company CMN is a compact vessel with stealth lines which can reach a very high speed and offer an important fire power. It is the perfect vessel for Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance as well as fast strike against surface or coastal targets.

The Combattante FS56 combines the spirit of previous proven Combattante classes with 21st Century technologies: Stealth and Electronic Warfare. The vessel is a high performance compact and multifunction ship able to perform area surveillance tasks as well as anti-air, anti-surface and electronic warfare missions.

The FS 56 is armed with one Oto Melara 76mm SR main gun, one Bofors 40 Mk4 40mm gun, 2x30 or 20mm remote weapon systems and 8 MM40 blkIII Exocet anti-ship missiles.
     
The military equipment and armoured vehicles military equipment that will be delivered by France to the Lebanese armed forces include vehicle-mounted Mistral short-range air-defence systems, 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, surplus VBC-90 armoured combat vehicles, CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzers, Eurocopter AS 532 Cougar helicopters, and Combattante FS56 fast attack long range craft armed with the Simbad air-defence systems and 20 mm Narwhal guns.
Scale model of Combattante FS56