Order for Further 150 Brings Total to 1,872

On 4 July Nexter delivered the French Army’s initial GRIFFONs at its plant in Satory, following technical qualification of the vehicle by the DGA, France’s defence procurement authority.

GRIFFON – the French Army’s designation for the Véhicule Blindé Multi-Rôle (VBMR – multi-role armoured vehicle) – has been developed to modernise the medium combat capabilities of the Combat Arms Tactical Group (GTIA) and will replace the current fleet of VABs under the service’s SCORPION programme. A robust and versatile vehicle, the GRIFFON will significantly improve protection of combat troops through more efficient armour protection, a remotely-operated turret and advanced sensors. It will also contribute to the digitally-enhanced networked combat environment for which the army is preparing.

The vehicles represent “a new face for the Army; an exceptional programme in its ambition, its coherence and its magnitude […] a true technological and operational step forward […] the fruit of almost 15 years’ work,” commented Defence Minister Florence Parly, adding “they will allow our soldiers to maintain their advantage on the ground [by providing] unprecedented protection against ballistic threats, mines and improvised explosive devices, one of the main weapons of our opponents in the Sahel.”

The Minister also pointed to the international interest already expressed in the GRIFFON and its partner vehicle the JAGUAR Engin Blindé de Reconnaissance et de Combat (EBRC – armoured reconnaissance combat vehicle). Both have been ordered by Belgium, which has based its CaMo motorised capability programme on the SCORPION concept. She announced an order for a further 150 GRIFFONs, bringing to 1,872 the total number to be delivered by 2030, and revealed an accelerated delivery schedule that will deliver 50% of those vehicles by 2025. A total of 92 are to be delivered during 2019, with the objective of equipping the first GTIA as soon as 2021.