At Eurosatory 2026, John Cockerill Defense unveils its new armored fighting vehicle: FENRIS, the only 26-ton 6×6 vehicle on the market capable of mounting a NATO-standard 105 mm gun. Combining a 105 mm turret with a new high-performance 6×6 combat chassis, FENRIS brings together the renowned expertise of Arquus vehicles and Cockerill weapon systems, each recognized as a benchmark in their respective fields. Unveiled nearly two years after John Cockerill Defense’s acquisition of Arquus, this strategic innovation embodies the complementarity of John Cockerill Defense’s solutions in support of land forces worldwide.
The first vehicle developed by John Cockerill Defense since its acquisition of Arquus nearly two years ago, FENRIS was born from a shared observation among many armed forces: the enduring need for direct fire support on the modern battlefield.
Thierry Renaudin, CEO of John Cockerill Defense and Chairman of Arquus:
“FENRIS is John Cockerill Defense’s answer to this capability requirement. With a combat weight of 26 tons, it is the only 6×6 armored vehicle in its class on the market equipped with a high-pressure NATO-standard 105 mm gun. Highly agile, it also offers outstanding operational and strategic mobility: it is easily air-transportable, including aboard an A400M on tactical airlift missions, and can rapidly deploy under its own power by road to bypass tactical bottlenecks or reach a theater of operations autonomously.”
For reconnaissance vehicles, the challenge is to field sufficient firepower to defeat enemy reconnaissance forces, including those equipped with medium and heavy combat vehicles. The high-pressure 105 mm gun is particularly well suited to this role. It offers an excellent balance between firepower, ammunition versatility and effects, and compactness. Paired with a lightweight turret, it enables relatively compact yet highly capable reconnaissance platforms to operate with stealth and surprise ahead of friendly forces, detecting and, when necessary, shaping the enemy’s disposition through direct fire.
Light and medium infantry formations also have a persistent need for greater firepower, particularly when facing even moderately hardened enemy forces. Typically not equipped with large-caliber guns, these units cannot fully meet all their offensive requirements with missiles, FPV drones, loitering munitions, artillery, or air support alone, notably due to availability and cost constraints. As a result, a vehicle equipped with a large-caliber gun capable of delivering direct fire remains essential to engage the wide range of targets encountered on today’s battlefield, including armored and unarmored vehicles, buildings, entrenched infantry, and fortified positions.
Superior mobility, the vehicle’s greatest asset in its missions
Emmanuel Levacher, Chief Executive Officer of Arquus:
“The vehicle’s mobility has received particular attention, as it is one of its greatest operational strengths and its primary safeguard against the threats of the modern battlefield. To this end, Arquus has developed a fully proprietary 6×6 chassis specifically for FENRIS, powered by a high-torque yet remarkably quiet 500 hp engine.”
Equipped with 14.00 R20 or 16.00 R20 tires and a central tire inflation system, the rolling chassis also features an active suspension that allows the driver to adjust both the vehicle’s ground clearance and ride height. This delivers a twofold benefit. In terms of mobility, it enables FENRIS to adapt to varying terrain conditions and overcome more demanding obstacles. In terms of survivability, the controlled suspension allows the vehicle to lower its profile and take full advantage of hull-down observation and firing positions. A capability usually reserved for certain main battle tanks, it provides a genuine operational advantage for a tank hunter such as FENRIS.
The lightest 105 mm turret on the market
The heart of an armored fighting vehicle is its weapon system. Frank Jansens, General Manager, Weapon Systems, John Cockerill Defense:
FENRIS is equipped with the Cockerill 3105 turret, fitted with the high-pressure Cockerill® 105 mm gun, compatible with all NATO-standard 105 mm ammunition available on the market. It is paired with a latest-generation fire control system featuring native artificial intelligence for target acquisition and engagement. On FENRIS in particular, the Cockerill 3105 stands out in several respects: as the lightest 105 mm turret on the market, it provides its carrier with a significant additional mobility advantage.
The turret also provides the two-axis stabilized main armament with an exceptional vertical firing arc, offering both high elevation and deep depression angles. This enables the crew to engage targets at higher elevations—such as upper floors of buildings or ridgelines—as well as targets from hull-down positions, on reverse slopes, or even beyond direct line of sight by employing the gun as an expedient artillery asset when required.
Lastly, counter-drone self-protection is natively integrated into the turret. FENRIS is equipped with the latest iteration of the armed Hornet-S commander’s sight. In its C-UAS configuration, it combines one or more radars with its standard 7.62 mm MAG 58 machine gun, providing the vehicle with an autonomous self-defense capability. By integrating three functions into a single system—commander’s observation through the sight, conventional close-range defense as a remotely operated weapon station, and now counter-UAS capability—the Hornet-S C-UAS delivers a significant advantage for FENRIS by reducing turret roof clutter and ultimately enhancing the vehicle’s stealth and signature management.
By design, FENRIS is not intended to replace modern main battle tanks, but rather to complement them with intelligence and flexibility. Accurate and highly agile, it provides reconnaissance units with substantial firepower combined with outstanding tactical mobility. It also gives infantry formations—many of which do not organically field tanks—a highly versatile direct fire support capability. Its wheeled chassis further ensures full mobility compatibility with medium-weight formations, matching their speed, operational range, and strategic deployability, including air transportability. All of this is achieved within a gross vehicle weight of just 26 tons, making FENRIS particularly well suited to countries whose terrain, infrastructure, and logistical capabilities are less compatible with the acquisition and operation of heavier combat vehicles.
Unveiled nearly two years after John Cockerill Defense’s acquisition of Arquus, this strategic innovation embodies the complementarity of John Cockerill Defense’s solutions and demonstrates the company’s ability to meet the evolving requirements of land forces worldwide.