Communiqué de presse |

ARQUUS delivers the first 15 TRM2000 RIPs to the armed forces

On 13 January 2020, the Arquus site in Saint Nazaire handed over the first 15 TRM2000s to staff from SIMMT (Integrated Structure for the Operational Condition Maintenance of Land Equipment) and SMITer (Land Industrial Maintenance Service).

This is an important milestone in the vehicle’s industrial renovation programme, which began at the end of 2018 and which is set to gather real pace in 2020. This delivery represents a crowning achievement for Arquus staff, who successfully worked to extremely short deadlines in a very demanding programme in terms of obsolescence management, the availability of parts and industrial organisation.

The TRM2000’s Private Industrial Repair (RIP, Réparation Industrielle Privée) programme is the 7th truck support programme taken on by Arquus, following on from the six RIP programmes included in the MSSPL contract (Marché de Soutien en Service Poids Lourds - Heavy Vehicle Service Support Contract). It is the result of close cooperation with SIMMT, SMITer, BCCP (the Contract Management and Industrial Partnerships Office) and the BSMAT (13th Material Support Base - Base de Soutien du MATériel), which also renovated 15 TRM2000s at the same time.

This RIP programme aims to extend the operational life of the TRM2000, which entered into service between 1982 and 1992, and which now has between 28 and 38 years of service in the most demanding theatres of operations. These tactical vehicles are highly appreciated by the armed forces for their lightness, compactness and mobility.

Studies into the renovation of the TRM2000 began in October 2018. The programme was launched in March 2019, with the aim of delivering 15 vehicles by the end of the year. This is a real industrial challenge, since the TRM2000 is a vehicle that is no longer supported, whose spare parts are no longer produced, and which is faced with many obsolescence issues. This challenge is set to be overcome thanks to tireless work in the service of the armed forces, as well as the expertise developed on other RIPs taken on by Arquus' industrial and support teams.

The first diagnostics on TRM 2000 took place last May, and the production line launch in September 2019. Meanwhile, at the end of July, the Saint-Nazaire factory was also asked to paint the vehicles, on top of carrying out the actual repair work. On 13 January 2020, the first 15 TRM 2000s were presented to the SIMMT, as promised.

It took 19 months for the first TRM10000 CLD, 16 months for the first CBH, 15 months for the first GBC, and finally less than 9 months for the first TRM2000s. These extremely short deadlines demonstrate Arquus’ expertise in supporting tactical and logistical vehicles, as well as the company’s commitment in working alongside the armed forces. They also illustrate the excellent quality of the partnership and the level of cohesion between industry and the State.

To achieve all this, Arquus teams had to muster up all their expertise in terms of diagnostics, maintenance and obsolescence management. The specific features of the programme required accurate management and close synchronisation between all areas of the business, from the design office to purchasing and logistics. In total, work on the TRM2000 involves the replacement of more than 400 part numbers, as well as an average of over 220 hours of work per vehicle.

200 TRM2000s need to be renovated by the end of 2021 in order to re-equip the overseas forces. The first 30 vehicles, including the 15 produced in parallel by SMITer, should leave next March for New Caledonia and French Polynesia.

Several Arquus sites are currently engaged in industrial repair programmes. Saint-Nazaire is responsible for the renovation of Light Reconnaissance and Support Vehicles (VLRA) and the TRM2000. The Limoges Military Vehicles Production Centre is responsible for a renovation programme for GBC180 and GBC (Sherpa) ADR, the 500th vehicle of which was recently delivered to the forces. The Garchizy Operational Condition Maintenance Centre is in charge of RIP for the CBH 385 tankers of the Armed Forces Fuel Service (Service des Esences des Armées, SEA), the TRM10000 CLD and the APD. Finally, Marolles-en-Hurepoix is taking care of the repair of transfer cases for GBC180s.

These industrial repair programmes extend the estimated operational life of these vehicles, while allowing the handling of large volumes. They are fully in line with the ministerial desire to strengthen cooperation with private industry in support of Army vehicles.

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