Nexter, RENAULT TRUCKS Defense and Thales are proud to have contributed to the success of the July 14th parade on the Champs-Elysées with the presence of a Multirole Armored Vehicle (VBMR) in a dynamic demonstration in front of the Presidential grandstands.
The VBMR will succeed the VAB, manufactured in the 70s and 80s and used intensively by the French Army in all its theatres of operation in the last thirty years. The VBMR will be an info-enhanced vehicle interconnected in real time to other vehicles thus providing new operational capability, collaborative combat.
This first dynamic demonstration of the VBMR, whose development, manufacture and vehicle support contract was awarded by the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) in December 2014, reflects the concrete advances of the Scorpion program. It demonstrates compliance with the development and industrialization schedules by the France team targeting the first deliveries of the VBMR by end 2018. It is also the result of a beneficial and efficient collaboration between Nexter, RENAULT TRUCKS Defense and Thales, united in a temporary joint venture, and their service providers and partners, coordinated by DGA on behalf of the French Army.
This program, structuring for Nexter, RENAULT TRUCKS Defense and Thales, and for the entire French industrial fabric affected by the JV outsourcing orders, gives significant impetus to our terrestrial defense industry.
Nexter, the leading French land defense company and third European player in the ammunition sector is part of the KNDS Group. It is dedicated to meeting the needs of the land forces of Nations on an international scale. The scope of its business includes the supply of weapon systems and ammunition for air and naval forces. The group continues to apply its international development policy with 60% of the order intake in 2016 intended for the export market.
In France, Nexter is fully committed to meeting the objectives of the SCORPION program, through the renovation of the Leclerc tank and the development of the future VBMR and EBRC vehicles within the GME (temporary business venture between Nexter, Thales and Renault Trucks Defense).
Nexter’s range of products includes ARAVIS®, TITUS® and VBCI armored vehicles, CAESAR®, TRAJAN® and 105LG1 artillery systems, smart ammunition (BONUS), as well as customer service and support.
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.
