In recent years, the manufacturers involved in the SCORPION program [synergie du contact renforcée par la polyvalence et l’infovalorisation] had to face several difficulties, starting with those created by the covid-19 pandemic, which made the Army fear that it would not obtain its Multi-role armored vehicles [VBMR] Griffon and its armored reconnaissance and combat vehicles [EBRC] within the stipulated time.
The “non-compliance with deliveries is not insignificant” because “when 20 Griffons are missing, it is a company that is not ‘Scorpionized’ on time”, had thus argued General Thierry Burkhard, when he was still Chief of Staff of the Army.
However, beyond the health aspect, the pandemic has also had economic and social effects, with difficulties for companies in recruiting and sourcing raw materials. [dont les semi-conducteurs]. To this, the war in Ukraine [mais pas seulement, car la politique énergétique menée jusqu’ici a sa part de responsabilité] drove up the price of energy. And without energy, we cannot produce…
Be that as it may, the temporary consortium of companies [GME] “Multi-role armored vehicle” [EBMR]made up of Nexter, Arquus and Thales, was there in 2022. Finally, according to a press release it published on December 22, it delivered the 113 Griffons and 18 Jaguars expected by the Directorate General of armament [DGA], in order to then hand them over to the Army. What she did for 112 Griffon, the 113th being checked.
Since 2019, 38 Jaguars and 451 Griffons have been delivered by the manufacturers concerned.
It should be noted that the year 2022 was marked by the qualification of the sanitary Griffon, “equipped with a medicalized module, fittings adapted to the storage and integration of medical equipment, and a loading assistance system casualty consisting of a mobile table and a lifting winch”. And also by the publication of the results of the risk removal study on the integration of Lithium-ion batteries in military vehicles. This will make it possible to equip “Scorpion” armored vehicles with new, even more efficient batteries, capable of recharging twice as quickly.
The DGA received and delivered to the@armedeterre 112 of the 113 Griffon vehicles expected for 2022. The 113th began its verification operations this week.
➡️451 have already been delivered since 2019. pic.twitter.com/CktbcGzZ2b– Directorate General of Armaments (@DGA) December 22, 2022
Finally, the DGA notified orders for 302 Griffons and 88 additional Jaguars. Same as that for 54 Griffon MEPAC [Mortier Embarqué Pour l’Appui au Contact].
In addition, Nexter and Texelis delivered 60 VBMR Léger Serval out of the 364 units ordered. Again, the goal was achieved.
The DGA recently indicated that it had just qualified “eight sub-versions” of the “Armored Patrol Vehicle” variant of this new armored vehicle, intended to equip infantry units of light brigades such as the 11th Parachute Brigade and the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade.
