VAB VBDAA TA-23 Mistrals

[nxdefiant001 1,397]

REUPLOAD TO CONFORM TO NEW FORUM REGULATIONS

 

 

 

This suggestion is not to be mistook for the VAB Santal one as they cover 2 different but extremely similar vehicles

 

The VAB is the workhorse of the french army. Since 1976 up to today the platform has transported multiple generations of french soldiers in mud and sand during multiple wars and other UN operations. An APC first, it saw many variations fitting almost every role a vehicle can fill. Mortar carrier, scouting, missile carrier, ambulance, NBC decon, ECM, artillery command center TD in its VBC 90 form and even cleaning duty on military runways. It serves in 17 different armies in the world.

 

The chassis is made of thin RHA plates, protecting from small arms fire (7.62mm AP) and artillery shells splinters. The glass present on the vehicle is as bullet proof as the rest.

Engine wise the VAB had a MAN engine but was replaced with the more powerful and reliable Renault MIDR 060226 developing 250hp (235 before engine swap).

A VAB is 13t loaded with around 3t of load (10 men and their gear) which gives us 10t of vehicle. the turret is 1.9t without the 6 mistrals (6x 20kg) which makes our turret go to 2.1t.

Overall weight is 12.1t. With a 250hp engine, this anti-air VAB would have a hp/t of 20.6 . Given the gearbox is the automatic transmission with 5 forward 1 reverse (max 110km/h) seen on every retrofitted VAB, this vehicle would be quite the mobile (but not very inconspicuous) truck.

Spoiler

 

 

Usually the truck (let's face it it's a Saviem Renault truck) is carrying 10 soldiers (in the 1970's, more recently it went down to 6-8 due to the increase in carried gear) however this version has a TA20 turret manufactured by Hispano Suiza (H.20 when sold by HS France) and Electronique Serge Dassault (TA.20 when sold by ESD) with the 20mm guns replaced by 23mm ones and Mistral pods added (and not replacing the gun like the Santal version).

 

TA 20 turret, the 23mm and additional Mistrals should not reconfigure the interior as guns and ammo are all kept outside. 

Spoiler

 

 

As i do not have an image of the interior of the VAB TA23  here's a picture of a TA20 in a VAB to help the modelling team. You can see the turret basket, ammunition storage (mind that this pic is from a Mistral less version, they might have kept some inside for the Mistral equipped one) as well as the commander's seat and his own PPI display. The gunner should have his own too as well as lead indicator but is not visible here. Changes should be minor. (picture bu Kawaii Rage)

 

This vehicle isn't the first VAB to recieve an H20 turret, the VCS also had one, until being commercially replaced by the VAB.

 

 

The TA-23 turret is equipped with twin ZU-23mm with an unknown number of  rounds per belt per gun (but 20mm 20x139 was 325, 23mm 23x152B should not be that far off). Traverse is hydraulic, powered on 360° at 90°/s and Elevation is -5/+85° powered at 80°/s with X5 sight is used to aim and fire. The turret drive is  stabilized by means of an angle gyroscopes providing feedback to the FCS and drive system.

The turret was originally a 20mm carrying turret, but then modified to have 23mm guns. 

A specific version named TA-23E was sold to Egypt (hence 23E) as the Electronique Serge Dassault Sinai 23 system.

Spoiler

 

An ESD RA-20 Doppler radar is used to track and give firing correction to the gunner. The RA-20 radar is an E-band Doppler radar with an 8° azimuth / 45° elevation scanning range in continuous rotation (240°/s, giving it 40 rotation per minute enabling TWS). Its range is 9km vs planes (Mirage III size) and 7km  vs light helicopters (Alouette III) The system can track up to 4 targets at the same time.

The missiles are in pods placed on top mechanically linked to the gun drive in a similar fashion to the ESD Nile 23 system. Additional electronics are carried on the back of the turret to integrate the Mistrals in the fire control system. Each pods carries 3 Mistrals AAMs.

According to MBDA France brochure Mistral is a 500m-7.5km range Fire and Forget All-aspect AAM flying at 930 m/s and with a 30g maneuvrability. the missile has a 3kg warhead and a laser proxy fuse.

Finally the turret has 4 forward facing smoke launchers, in case one might need those.

 

 

 

 

The VDAA is quite tall with its turret and radar, 3m427 in height (the turret itself being 0.8m tall)

(this is before they changed the position to fit the turret on non-rear engine VABs aka the troop transports)

I do not have the exact dimensions but this the same vehicle with the same turret minus the Mistral pods. This should give you an idea of how tall it is.

Spoiler

 

 

Sources :

 

Spoiler

 

Jane's Armoured Fighting Vehicles 1988

Spoiler

 

 

Jane's (picture provided by LeGrandSarrazin)

Spoiler

 

 

Armas de guerras 49 VAP de Guerras

Spoiler

 

International defence review April 1977, page 742

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Satory VII (1979) booklet, normal VAB page

Spoiler

 

MBDA website (either download brochure there or look in spoiler)

Spoiler

 

 

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by nxdefiant001
- added gif

[kurururocks 210]

Open for discussion

[KilianL 865]

+1 as usual on any Spaa that can be capable

[Milocat 4,857]

+1, looks like a good SPAA.

[Kawamura 72]

We really need that between 8.3 and 10.0. 

[JamesPond1200@psn 299]

The French really need SPAAs, and a twin 23mm system with MISTRAL missiles and a radar is AWESOME! +1

[BraveHeart_FR 0]

+1, i agree to add one more French AA ^^

[FrizBeee 229]

+1 would have been a better choise than the VAB santal, having gun at this tier is a must imo if you can't fire your missile at ground target

[Abaddon75 460]

2 hours ago, Frizare said:

+1 would have been a better choise than the VAB santal, having gun at this tier is a must imo if you can't fire your missile at ground target

wrong turret model, it was reported and devs answered that tehy will correct it and it will receive the correct one, but it's too short of a deadline for the update, so it will come later on. among modiffication, there will be the addition of a .50cal iirc, I know it would be not very useful but still better than nothing, at list better than other SPAA that only has IR guided missiles. I just Hope that SANTAL will get recon capabilities

Edited October 22, 2022 by Abaddon75

[MS_Phantasm 51]

The only answer to this is YES. It may not be much but it's still a FRENCH HYBRID SPAA!

[Kasukaru 2,164]

This would help France a lot, since we're badly screwed in terms of SPAA. +1

[Hartsy1 32]

Another spaa gap filler yesss please this would be awesome