As part of the Strategic Partnership between Belgium and France in the field of land mobility (CaMo), the first Steering Committee (CODIR) was held on Wednesday, December 12 in Paris in the presence, for France, of the corps general Eric Bellot des Minières, representing the Chief-of-Staff of the French Armed Forces, the Délégué Général pour l’Armement Joel Barre, and Major General Hervé Gomart representing the Chief-of-Staff of the Army , and for Belgium in the presence of Lieutenant-General Rudy Debaene and Major General Marc Thys.
The roadmap of the program was thus initiated with Nexter as the leader of this project at the heart of European defense ambitions.
This meeting has officially launched the work of the three Steering Committees (COPIL) which will implement this unprecedented cooperation:
• The “capability” steering committee
• The “Armaments Partnership” steering committee
• The “Program” steering committee
A roadmap has been set for each of these COPILs by the CODIR. Stéphane Mayer, Chairman and CEO of Nexter, presented the industrial organization set up on behalf of the main French and Belgian manufacturers involved in the first CaMo contract.
The “acquisition” part of the partnership covers 382 GRIFFON multi-role armored vehicles and 60 JAGUAR armored reconnaissance and combat vehicles fully info enhanced according to the SCORPION program and fully compatible with their French counterparts. These vehicles will be delivered to the Belgian land component from 2025. An innovative scheme called client (client state) / agent (French State acting as delegated developer) is implemented for this agreement.
As such, acting in the name and on behalf of the Belgian State, the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) will conduct the acquisition market of the first capacity in connection with the industrial contractor Nexter, bringing all his expertise.
This market is entrusted to several contractors, with Nexter Group as a main. As an architect and system integrator of 100% of the French Army combat vehicles, Nexter is thus at the center of this strategic partnership between Belgium and France and contributes to the construction of the Europe of Defense. Nexter relies on two strategic French subcontractors, ARQUUS and Thales, as well as Belgian manufacturers, including FN Herstal and CMI, via cooperation agreements.
Stéphane Mayer is “happy to see the CaMo program start with this first steering committee, during which he presented the industrial organization supported by Nexter, industrial contractor for the program’s first capacity, and its French and Belgian partners. It is a real pride for Nexter Group to contribute alongside the two French and Belgian defense ministries to a European defense project.”
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 meet the needs of the French land forces and of Nations on an international scale.
The scope of Nexter’s business includes as well the supply of weapon systems and ammunition for air and naval forces. Nexter also provides systems and protection solutions in the field of homeland security.
The group continues to apply its international development policy with 58% of the order intake in 2017 intended for the export market. In France, Nexter is fully committed to meeting the objectives of the SCORPION program, through the upgrade of the Leclerc tank and the development of the future VBMR Griffon and EBRC Jaguar vehicles within the temporary business venture between Nexter, Thales and Arquus, as well as the Lightweight VBMR.
The group’s range of products also includes ARAVIS®, TITUS® and VBCI armored vehicles, CAESAR®, TRAJAN® and 105LG1 artillery systems, smart ammunition (BONUS), many equipment, as well as customer service, support and revaluation.
Nexter’s 2017 turnover amounted to €900 million, of which 18% is allocated to Research and Development (R&D) activities.
