Completes Vehicle’s Range of Capabilities
France’s defence procurement agency, the DGA, has qualified the Griffon SAN – the medical evacuation variant of the 24t armoured vehicle – Nexter announced on 16 June on behalf of the GME EBMR consortium (which also includes Arquus and Thales) that builds them.
Griffon – for which the French Army has so far ordered 1,872 – commenced delivery in 2019. The role of the SAN variant is to ensure recovery and evacuation of injured personnel on the battlefield, providing casualties and medical teams with greatly improved protection, mobility and treatment facilities. The first vehicles are expected to be delivered in 2023, fulfilling one of the multiple roles foreseen for the fleet. Deployed in the Sahel by the French Army since last year, other Griffon variants are showcasing the family’s operational qualities, mobility and ease of maintenance.
Griffon shares equipment in common with the other vehicles of the Scorpion programme (Jaguar and Serval), including the vehicle electronics and the SICS combat information system, as well as the remotely operated turret, which combines the observation, protection and combat capabilities lying at the heart of collaborative combat.