The multi-role armored vehicle consortium (GME), made up of Nexter, Thales and Arquus, has delivered 113 GRIFFON vehicles and 18 JAGUAR vehicles to the French defense procurement agency (DGA) this year.
- The GME EBMR has thus reached its delivery target for the year 2022.
- In 2022, the DGA has placed an additional order for 88 JAGUAR, 302 GRIFFON and 54 MEPAC vehicles.
Ongoing deliveries and qualification
Nexter, Thales and Arquus have ensured all GRIFFON and JAGUAR deliveries scheduled for 2022, in accordance with the 2019-2025 military programming law. As a result, since 2019, 452 GRIFFONs and 38 JAGUARs have been delivered to the DGA. In parallel, the GME EBMR has ensured the development of a new version of the GRIFFON configured as an ambulance vehicle in 2022, the GRIFFON SAN will enable the care and evacuation of wounded.
This new version was qualified on September 12, 2022 by the DGA. It is equipped with a medical module, fittings adapted to the storage and integration of medical equipment, and a casualty loading aid system consisting of a mobile table and a hoist. The interior configuration can accommodate seated or recumbent casualties with a capacity of four stretchers. The SAN version has all the elements common to the other versions of the GRIFFON (mobility, armament, protection and connectivity).
An innovation in terms of energy
In June 2022, the GME EBMR also jointly presented the results of the risk removal study on the integration of lithium-ion batteries in military vehicles. Conducted on a mock-up and a GRIFFON prototype, this experiment enabled teams from the DGA Techniques Terrestres expertise and test center and the GME EBMR to test the complete system. In the future, these new batteries will be able to power more electrical equipment while maintaining the current standby time and recharging twice as fast. The study conducted by the GME thus opens the way to new options for equipping the most energy-hungry vehicles in theaters of operation.
SCORPION, an ambitious program
The JAGUAR armoured reconnaissance and combat vehicle (EBRC) and the GRIFFON armoured multi-role vehicle (VBMR) were developed as part of the SCORPION programme led by the DGA, alongside the SERVAL light VBMR vehicles. They are natively designed to implement the SCORPION combat information system (SICS). The SICS provides our soldiers with the means to conduct collaborative combat, thanks to real-time communication of information between different units and the digitization of the battlefield. Thus, in the event of a high-intensity conflict, the Army will be assured of being one step ahead of its adversary. To implement these new combat capabilities, the first SCORPION joint brigade (BIA) will be formed by the end of 2023.
- The JAGUAR is a 25-ton armored reconnaissance and combat vehicle (EBRC), armed with a 40mm telescoped ammunition gun (CTA) and the MMP missile.
- The JAGUAR is a unique vehicle in several ways:
its turret combines three advanced weapons systems: the 40mm CTA gun from Nexter, two MBDA medium-range missiles (MMP) and the T3 remotely operated turret; its state-of-the-art vetronics, developed by Thales, includes latest-generation optronics (IR/TV, missile departure detector, laser warning detector, etc.) and an onboard tactical training capability;
its new generation chassis, developed by Arquus, its six-wheel drive, its innovative suspension and its 400 hp engine for 25 tons give it exceptional tactical, operational and strategic mobility.
The GRIFFON is a 24-ton multi-role armored vehicle (MRV). Its many versions enable it to perform multiple missions: troop transport, command post, communication relay, artillery observation or even 120mm mortar (MEPAC). Deployed in 2021 in the Sahel by the French Army, the GRIFFON is appreciated for its operational qualities, its mobility and its ease of maintenance. It shares common equipment with the other SCORPION vehicles, such as the vetronics and SICS, as well as the Hornet remotely operated turret.