4x4s.org NAMED MODEL · 1982
NAMED MODELFrance

TPK 4.20 STL.

The weapons-carrier VLRA, a flat platform behind the cab for missile and gun mounts; the British SAS bought twenty of the STL2 version in 1996.

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Sources & evidence
BASE VEHICLEACMAT VLRA (1967– )BUILT BYACMAT, Saint-NazaireIN SERVICE1982OPERATED INFrance, United KingdomPRODUCTIONNot publishedLAYOUT4 wheels

The record

ACMAT showed the STL with Shorts Javelin and Starburst, Matra Atlas and Mistral air-defence missiles on PSA platforms. The British Special Air Service ordered twenty VLRA 4×4 TPK 4.20 STL2 in 1996, and they were used in Afghanistan in November 2001. Army Technology describes the STL as a multirole troop carrier of 7.5 tonnes gross, 2 + 12 seats and a 145 hp turbo-diesel, with 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machine guns.

Specification

MANUFACTUREDListed in 1982
ENGINEPerkins 6.354.4 six-cylinder diesel, 5.8 litres, 120 hp SAE; 145 hp in the later STLPerkins 6.354
PRODUCTION RUNNot published
COUNTRY OF ORIGINFrance
OPERATED INFrance, United Kingdom
STATUSout of production
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINEVLRA
FAMILYVLRA
WHEELS4
BODY STYLEcargo

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Variants & colours

Base model variants

Factory colours

  • Sable beige PIR (sand beige)
  • Brun terre PIR (earth brown)
  • Brun clair PIR (light brown)
  • Beige moyen PIR (medium beige)
  • Sand

Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Acmat VLRA TPK 420 STL ↗Véhicules hors série (Nicolas Bergon), from ACMAT literature · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  2. 2ACMAT VLRA ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  3. 3ACMAT VLRA 4×4 – TPK 4.20 STL Multirole Troop Carrier ↗Army Technology · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-24 · status: researched