The VBCI-2 (MCT-30) is the premium variant of the VBCI family of wheeled IFVs, equipped with the 30mm Bushmaster Mk. II in a crewless turret. Despite being armored enough to withstand light autocannons, at least from the front, it is one of the most mobile wheeled IFVs in the game and when paired with the 150 rounds of Mk.258 APFSDS, it can take out almost any tank from its side within seconds.
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Amazing mobility | Poor side armor |
| 150 rounds of first stage ammunition | Long delay before first stage replenishment starts |
| Crewless turret | Massive profile |
| Good gun handling | Horrible ammunition placement |
| Amazing thermal sights | Poor shell dispersion |
| IRST aircraft tracking system | Larger turning radius than tracked vehicles |
Main Armament
The main armament of the VBCI-2 (MCT-30) is the 30mm Bushmaster Mk. II. It has a respectable firerate of 200 rounds per minute and a total ammunition capacity of 450 rounds. Your ammo is stored in 6 ammo boxes (75 rounds each), with two being in the turret and the rest being at the top of the hull. The main shell available is the Mk.258 APFSDS with 110mm of penetration at 500 meters against a flat armor plate.
The gun also has access to the Mk.266 HE-I-T shell that has ~54 grams of TNT equivalent of explosive filler. Bringing the Mk.266 shell is not recommended despite having access to an IRST system as it offers marginally better performance against air targets compared to the Mk.258 APFSDS while also sacrificing almost 400m/s in velocity and a significant increase in drag. TL;DR, just use the APFSDS against aircraft, it does almost as much damage and is a lot easier to aim.
Do note, however, that the cannon has pretty poor dispersion, even at medium range, so it is recommended to use a crew that has as high a targeting skill for the gunner as possible to make it easier to destroy barrels and breaches of enemy vehicles.
Armor and Survivability
The armor of this vehicle is far from ideal. While you are protected from 12.7mm guns, your side, rear and lower front are vulnerable to most if not all autocannons firing subcaliber projectiles.
Additionally, because of the ammunition placement inside the hull, ammunition explosions will be very common in battle since even when a small part of the top of your hull is showing over a hill, you can be ammoracked instantly. While the turret is crewless, the gunner, commander, and driver sit pretty high up, so a grazing shot to the roof of the hull is very likely to also take out all your crew because of how cramped the layout of this vehicle is.
While there is a lot of space in the rear of your hull, the chances of getting shot there are very low, so it is advised to try to not get shot at all.
This vehicle is also equipped with eight 66mm smoke grenades which can help conceal your movement.
Mobility
Mobility is where this vehicle shines. With over 22hp/t, it can run around the battlefield faster than even most other wheeled IFVs so it is recommended to use this to your advantage. Getting into a position where the enemy will drive by, exposing their side is the ideal way to play this vehicle.
With a top speed of 100kph and the ability to reverse at 36kph, you can get in and out of most positions before an enemy can even react. Be mindful, however, that at 75kph, a speed that you will often reach even off-road, your stabilizer (and all other modern Two-Plane stabilizers) deactivates so your accuracy will significantly decrease.
Conclusion
The VBCI-2 (MCT-30) is the master flanker of the French Tech Tree. Utilizing lightning fast attacks, you can take out many unsuspecting enemies but also escape alive from most unfavorable engagements despite your very thin armor.
Flanking with this vehicle is essentially a requirement due to the low penetration but also low firerate of your main cannon, being unable to even penetrate the upper front plate of Leopard 1 tanks. While using the unmanned turret to shoot at targets without exposing your hull is a viable strategy, it is not what this vehicle excels at.
It is also possible to use this vehicle in hull-down positions, only exposing your crewless turret to the enemy. Also, because of the high profile of your vehicle, there will be a larger number of these spots that you can use compared to conventional tanks; do keep in mind, however, that if your ammunition is shot, you will almost always lose all of the ammo in your first-stage stowage.
It is also possible to go head-on with the enemy and surprise them with your mobility, however, this is not advised. Because of the lack of penetration for your main cannon as well as your slow firerate, you will be unable to penetrate most tanks you come up against while also being too slow to disable their cannons. This is also true when coming up against other light tanks, with many having much higher and faster damage output so you will almost always be at a disadvantage.
