Jaguar EBRC 6x6

Reconnaissance and combat 6x6 armored vehicle - France

The Jaguar EBRC (Engin Blindé de Reconnaissance et de Combat - Reconnaissance and Combat Armoured Vehicle) is a development of a 6x6 Reconnaissance and Combat Armoured Vehicle for the French Army under the program EBMR Scorpion (Engin Blindé Multi-Rôles - Armoured Multi-roles Vehicles). In December 2014, On the occasion of its visit in the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade Artillery of Varces (Isère), Jean-Yves LE DRIAN, French Minister of Defence, handed the EBMR (Armoured Multi-roles vehicles) market to the CEOs of the GME (temporary consortium) formed by the French companies Nexter Systems, Renault Trucks Defense and Thales. Prepared by the Armament Procurement Agency (DGA), this market plans the development, manufacturing, and support of the EBMR of the SCORPION program. Under the EBMR contract, the Reconnaissance and Combat Armoured Vehicle Jaguar EBRC will replace the AMX-10RC, the ERC-90 Sagaie and the VAB Hot in service with the French Army. The EBMR program includes the delivery of 248 Jaguar EBRC to the French Army which could be started in 2020. A total of 110 vehicles are expected to be delivered by 2025. In June 2017, the Belgian Council of Ministers gave its green light to a proposal of Defense Minister Steven Vandeput for launching the acquisition of France-made armored vehicles. Under a US$1.2bn program, Belgium plans to purchase 60 Jaguar EBRC combat and reconnaissance vehicles and 417 Griffon VBMR multirole armored vehicles. On October 26, 2018, the Belgian Council of Ministers approved the proposal of the Belgian Minister of Defense to award the purchase of new combat vehicles Jaguar EBRC (reconnaissance wheeled armored vehicle) and Griffon VBMR ( wheeled multi-role armored vehicle) to France for the benefit of the Belgian Land Component. In January 2022, the French army took delivery of the first batch of 20 Jaguar EBRC that were delivered to the "1er Régiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique", a cavalry regiment of the French army. On May 10, 2022, France ordered a new batch of 88 Jaguar Reconnaissance and Combat Armoured Vehicles. 

Jaguar EBRC variants

No variants at this time

Armament

The Jaguar EBRC is fitted with a two-man turret 40 CTAS armed with one 40mm CTC cannon with Ammunition Handling System (AHS). The 40mm cannon will have a maximum range of 1,500 m. The 40 CTC can incorporate multiple natures of ammunition within the same ammunition handling system which gives the vehicle the capability to quickly engage threats across the modern battlefield spectrum including those within urban environments. The 40 mm cannon can fire a full range of ammunition as the APFSDS-T, TP-T, TPRR-T, GPR-PD-T, GPR-AB-T, and A3B. The turret is fully stabilized in azimuth and elevation thanks to the GCE (Gun Control Equipment) which enables the vehicle to fire on the move. The GCE includes elevation azimuth drive motors, encoders, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and electronic control units. A remote weapon station armed with a 7.62mm machine gun is mounted on the top of the turret. The right side of the turret is fitted with two launchers for the MMP (Missile Moyenne Portée - Medium Range Missile) missile designed by the French Company MBDA. In road position, the missiles are stored inside the armor of the turret and is elevated to an angle of about 45º to perform fire operations. The MMP missile is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance which has a maximum range of 4,000m. Four smoke grenade dischargers are mounted at the front of each side of the turret. There are also two additional smoke grenade dischargers integrated into the armor located on each side at the rear of the hull.

Close view of the Jaguar EBRC turret

Design and protection

The Jaguar EBRC is based on 6x6 all-terrain vehicle chassis with the turret mounted at the center of the hull. We can suppose that the hull of the Jaguar EBRC will have the same level of protection (NATO STANAG 4569 Level 4) as the Griffon VBMR which is also included in the EBMR Scorpion program of the French army. The STANAG 4569 Level 4 provides protection against fire of small arms 14.5mmx114 AP, 155mm artillery shell splinters at 30m, and mine blast protection of 10 kg TNT under the wheel. The 40 CTAS turret offers the same level of protection. The Jaguar can be fitted with modular protection kits. The Jaguar EBRC has a crew of three including the driver, commander, and gunner. The driver is seated at the front center of the hull. He has a single-piece hatch which is provided with three-day periscopes. The gunner of the Jaguar EBRC is seated on the right of the turret with the commander on the left, both being provided with a single-piece hatch cover and day periscopes.

Mobility

The Jaguar EBRC uses a 6x6 chassis featuring rear-axle steering, variable ground clearance, and 14R20 tires. The vehicle is motorized with a Diesel engine developing 500 hp. It can run at a maximum road speed of 90 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 800 km.

Accessories

The Jaguar EBRC is equipped with a stabilized panoramic sight for long-range surveillance and target identification, independent of turret orientation. The gun system is fitted with the CTAS controller which incorporates the control of the azimuth and elevation of the weapon along with the ballistic correction software, coincidence control of the weapon, and programming of the AirBurst rounds (GPR-AB-T and A3B). To increase its self-protection, the Jaguar EBRC is equipped with a laser warning system, a threat missile detection system, radios, and an infrared jamming system. The standard equipment of the Jaguar EBRC also includes a new command/control networking system, a central inflation system, and a run-flat system.