French Army to procure 200 armoured vehicles

French procurement agency, Direction Generale de l'Armement (DGA), has placed an order for an additional 200 small armoured vehicles, Petit Vehicule Protege (PVP), from Panhard General Defense for the French Army.

The latest order is in addition to a previous contract for 933 units ordered in 2004, the procurement office said.

The PVP is an armoured four-wheel-drive vehicle that can be fitted with a 7.62mm machine gun on a remote-operated turret, and the vehicles have been deployed in Lebanon and Afghanistan.

Delivery of the new batch of vehicles will take place in 2012.