The French Procurement Agency (DGA) placed the first production order with Nexter, Renault Trucks Defense and Thales for 319 GRIFFON (photo) and 20 JAGUAR vehicles as part of the Multi-role Armored Vehicle contract. This contract includes logistic support and the associated training.
A crucial stage in the SCORPION program, the awarding of this conditional tranche will thus launch the production of these new vehicles after only 27 months of development.
The GRIFFON Multi-role Armored Vehicle and the JAGUAR Armored Reconnaissance and Combat Vehicle, both of which benefit from a high level of protection, respectively replace the VAB and the AMX10RC, the SAGAIE ERC and the VAB Hot, used intensively by the Army for over thirty years. They will enable the French Army to have a state-of-the-art combat tool with the best protection technologies and the best possible use to be made of digitized data on the battlefield.
The Nexter, Renault Trucks Defense and Thales teams are perfectly aligned in order to achieve the contractual milestones and to meet the qualification and production commitments, with the first deliveries of the GRIFFON in 2018 and of the JAGUAR in 2020. Pooling of know-how and innovation capabilities creates the strength to design “connected” vehicles for tomorrow’s collaborative combat, featuring a high level of protection, optimum adaptability by means of the vehicles’ ability to be reconfigured according to the operational requirements, great mobility, and leading edge weapon systems.
The SCORPION program provides for the delivery by the Temporary Business Grouping of 1,668 GRIFFON vehicles and 248 JAGUAR engines to the French Army, as well as the associated logistic support facilities.
Jean-François Pellarin, Director of the SCORPION program within the Temporary Business Grouping and the representative for the EBMR contract, stated: “We are proud of this new sign of confidence on the part of the French Procurement Agency and can't wait to start producing this new equipment, which will project the operational capabilities of the Army to the future”.
Nexter, the leading French land defense company is a KNDS Group company. It is dedicated to meeting the needs of French and other land forces internationally. The scope of its business includes the supply of weapon systems and ammunition for air and naval forces. The acquisition of Belgian company Mecar and Italian company Simmel Difesa enabled the establishment, along with Nexter Munitions, of the third European player in the ammunition sector. Nexter also offers systems and protection solutions for the homeland security market.
The Group’s range of products consists of ARAVIS®, TITUS® and VBCI armored vehicles, CAESAR®, TRAJAN® and 105LG1 artillery systems, smart ammunition (BONUS), as well as customer service, support and recycling.
RENAULT TRUCKS Defense develops and manufactures a full range of armored, tactical and logistics vehicles from 7.9 to 42 t. It is a legacy supplier to the French armed forces with almost all the trucks in service and numerous armored vehicles. It also supplies the complete 8x8 driveline of the French Army’s 630 VBCI infantry fighting vehicles and the special chassis of the Caesar® from Nexter Systems, a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer.
RENAULT TRUCKS Defense’s customer portfolio also includes more than 65 other countries. 5,000 VAB Mk1 APCs have been sold worldwide so far, while new models such as the SHERPA LIGHT 4x4 tactical vehicle have already secured their first export contracts.
Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Transport, Defense and Security markets. In 2016, the company generated revenues of €14.9 billion with 65,000 employees in 56 countries. With over 20,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design and deploy equipment, systems and services to meet the most complex security requirements. Its unique international footprint allows it to work closely with its customers all over the world.
