Following the recent announcement by the French Defense Ministry of the order of a second batch of Griffon and Jaguar armored vehicles;

Stelios Kanavakis, Defense Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on the acquisition:

“This second batch of vehicles is proof of the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) commitment to continue implementing this important modernization program, while supporting the defense industrial base and supply chain in the COVID-19 era – given that the production of these two vehicles sustains 2,000 direct jobs. The manufacturing team, comprised of Arquus, Nexter and Thales, has shown that it can quickly implement the necessary hygiene measures of the COVID-19 pandemic and resolve problems related to supply chain partners. It is this promptness that has allowed this high-priority delivery to continue.

“The delivery, which includes 271 Griffon and 42 Jaguar vehicles and will be delivered between 2022 and 2023, follows the 2019-2025 military programming legislation – proving that such major modernization programs are expected to be implemented without any delays or budget cuts. That will also benefit the Belgian Army, which will start receiving its Griffons and Jaguars on time, between 2025-2030, right after the conclusion of the French order.

“The Scorpion program will renew the fleet of vehicles and modernize the Leclerc MBTs. According to GlobalData’s armored vehicles market data, France will acquire VBMRs, VLFS, PLFS, Serval, VT-4 Mk2 and others until 2030. They will be interconnected through a digitized command and control infrastructure. With the exception of the MBTs, all of the vehicles are wheeled – an approach that the French Army opted for its platforms in an effort to constitute its forces’ highly mobile and expeditionary (something that is being proven in Mali).

“Since the beginning of the crisis, France’s wheeled armored vehicles have been capable of moving effectively in the landscape and in areas with reduced infrastructure. Vehicles such as the VBCI IFVs moved quickly from Senegal’s capital Dakar to Mali, having the advantages of high speed, relatively lower weight, and reduced maintenance requirements and costs versus tracked platforms.”