Florence Parly, French Minister of Defense, welcomes the order by the General Directorate of Armaments (DGA), on September 15, 2020, of 271 VBMR Griffon armored vehicles and 42 EBRC Jaguar armored reconnaissance vehicles, from Nexter and Arquus companies and Thales as part of the Scorpion program.
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VBMR Griffon with Arquus Hornet RWS (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The 2019-2025 Military Programming Law (LPM) provides for both an increase in the objectives of the Scorpion program and an acceleration of deliveries. The objective for 2030 was thus raised to 1,872 units of the VBMR Griffon and 300 EBRC Jaguar, of which half (respectively 936 and 150) will be delivered by 2025. In addition to schools and training centers, five regiments will have started collecting the Griffon at the end of 2020, and nine regiments by the end of 2021.

The arrival of the first Griffons allows the Army to truly enter the Scorpio era, with a platform that benefits from significant advances in terms of protection, mobility and the ability to gradually integrate into the info-enhanced collaborative combat (intelligence sharing, acceleration of the decision-making loop). The objective therefore remains to project a first Griffon combined arms battle group (Groupement Tactique InterArmes, GTIA) in foreign operation by the end of 2021.

Via this order, the entire French Industrial and Technological Defense Base (BITD) in the land area is irrigated. The three prime contractors will in fact pass on the orders to their subcontractors and suppliers within a few days. It is estimated that the Griffon and Jaguar load plan represents nearly 2,000 direct highly qualified jobs.

After a first order in 2017 for 319 Griffons and 20 Jaguars, the DGA today notified the companies Nexter Systems, Arquus and Thales, a second phase of vehicle production, as part of the Scorpion program to renew the combat capabilities of the Ground Force. The 271 Griffons and 42 Jaguars ordered on September 15, 2020 will arrive in the forces between 2022 and 2023.

In addition to Nexter Systems, Thales and Arquus, the program also involves Safran for the optronics and weaponry of the Jaguar, CTA International for its 40mm gun and MBDA for its MMP (Medium Range Missile).

EBRC Jaguar (Picture source: Army Recognition)