Belgium to purchase 92 additional Griffon armoured vehicles from France.

Belgium presents a new €1.15 billion acquisition plan of 92 additional Griffon and 123 Serval armored vehicles under the CaMo framework with France, increasing Belgium’s Griffon fleet to 498 units.

As reported by L'Echo on December 4, 2025, Belgium will purchase 92 additional Griffon and 123 Serval armored vehicles for a total of €1,15 billion, a request that was presented to the Parliament during a closed session on December 3, 2025, reinforcing the joint framework established with France under the CaMo partnership. The decision expands the total Belgian Griffon inventory to 498 vehicles and maintains the shared industrial approach that includes local integration activities at the Staden facility. The allocation includes €495,6 million for the Griffon and €656,4 million for the Serval, with the vehicles covering troop transport, command and support functions, and medical evacuation.
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This additional purchase, valued at €1,15 billion, raises Belgium’s total Griffon fleet to 498 vehicles and expands the role of the Serval as a lighter complement for reconnaissance and rapid mobility tasks. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

This decision follows the arrival of the first Griffon intended for the Belgian local assembly in mid-December 2024 and its formal presentation on July 15, 2025, in Staden, where the assembly facility integrates Belgian equipment and conducts painting, testing, and final adjustments. The Staden industrial site represents a €7 million investment for Belgium, with KNDS France delivering base vehicle structures and Belgian firms integrating remote weapon stations and electronic suites. The new procurement was presented to the Belgian parliament during a closed military acquisitions session on December 4, 2025, and supplements earlier Belgian orders comprising 382 Griffon, 60 Jaguar EBRC, and nine Caesar NG 155 mm howitzers. Therefore, this additional purchase raises Belgium’s total Griffon fleet to 498 vehicles and expands the role of Serval as a lighter complement for reconnaissance and rapid mobility tasks within the expanding motorized brigade. The acquisition supports Belgium’s objective of developing fully Scorpion-compatible formations that can align structurally and operationally with French land forces.

The CaMo (for "Capacité Motorisée" or Motorized Capability) program, initiated in 2019, aims to standardize operational procedures, digital systems, maintenance concepts, and tactical structures between the Belgian and the French Armies through the adoption of the Scorpion architecture. Under CaMo, the Scorpion Combat Information System and the CONTACT tactical radio environment form the digital base enabling real-time exchange of data, command information, navigation inputs, and target reports across mixed national units. This digital integration supports the creation of Combined Arms Tactical SubGroups composed of Belgian and French elements with full interoperability scheduled for 2027. Joint activities under CaMo include shared exercises such as Celtic Uprise, bilateral training cycles, and repeated Belgian participation at French training grounds, including the recent familiarization with the Griffon weapon station or the first live-fire test of the Jaguar 6x6. CaMo also coordinates maintenance doctrines and logistical processes to ensure compatibility of spare parts, workshop procedures, and long-term support planning. Belgian personnel are integrated within French land-force structures for programming and operational coordination, while the French procurement agency places orders for Belgian vehicles under shared production logic.

The cooperation framework has expanded beyond the original mobility component and now incorporates additional capability branches and emerging partners. In June 2024, Belgium formally joined the French EGC program to replace aging armored engineering vehicles with a new platform capable of clearing obstacles, constructing field fortifications, and supporting urban or high-intensity operations. The proposed vehicle, designated Auroch, is a 28,6 tonne 8x8 platform developed by a consortium including KNDS France, Texelis, and CNIM Systèmes Industriels, with the integration of Belgian onboard equipment under evaluation. First deliveries to Belgium and France are expected around 2030, and the program may involve OCCAR for joint management. Luxembourg has joined the broader cooperation scheme by approving the acquisition of 16 Griffon vehicles in command, JTAC, sharpshooter, maintenance, and supply configurations, while Ireland is considering adopting the Griffon, Jaguar, and Serval family following the Belgian model. The French Scorpion program, for its part, plans a total of 1,872 Griffon, 978 Serval, and 300 Jaguar vehicles, along with the upgrade of 200 Leclerc tanks and 18 DCL recovery vehicles to the XLR standard by 2030.

Belgium’s decision to expand its Griffon fleet is part of a broader historical shift from older armored personnel carriers to digitized platforms capable of networked operations. On October 26, 2018, Belgium confirmed an initial order of 382 Griffon and 60 Jaguar for approximately €1,5 billion to replace Piranha IIIC and Dingo 2 vehicles in its motorized brigade. The deliveries were scheduled to begin in 2025 with operationalization from 2026 onward, forming the basis for a new structure centered on digitally connected maneuver units. In June 2022, Belgium added 24 Griffon MEPAC mortar carriers, followed by the signing of an agreement in December 2023 to replace the Mo-120-RT mortar systems and integrate indirect fire support into Scorpion networked formations. The expanded 2025 order raises the Griffon total to 498 vehicles across troop transport, command post, artillery observation, engineering, mortar, and medical versions, while adding the lighter Serval fleet as a complementary capability. These acquisitions also prepare Belgian armored formations for future joint projects such as the Franco-Belgian Armored Engagement Support Vehicle program.

The origins of the Griffon trace to French efforts in the early 2000s to replace the Véhicule de l’Avant Blindé (VAB), which entered service in 1979 and no longer met evolving survivability and connectivity requirements. The 2013 White Paper outlined a need for 2,080 multirole armored vehicles and 248 reconnaissance and combat vehicles, leading France to establish the Scorpion program in 2014 to modernize its armored fleet, upgrade the Leclerc tank, and introduce a unified digital architecture. Nexter, Arquus, and Thales jointly developed the VBMR Griffon and the EBRC Jaguar, sharing 70 percent of components to reduce cost and simplify logistics, with the first procurement tranche ordered in April 2017. The Griffon was qualified on June 24, 2019, enabling initial deliveries in July 2019, followed by continuous production that delivered 339 units by the end of 2021 and 575 by the end of 2023. Future deliveries are planned to reach 1,437 vehicles by 2030 and 1,872 by 2035, including 54 Griffon MEPAC mortar carriers.

The VBMR Griffon is a 25-tonne 6x6 multirole armored vehicle measuring approximately 7,6 meters in length, 2,5 meters in width, and 3,7 meters in height. Equipped with a 400-horsepower militarized Renault Trucks 6-cylinder engine coupled to a ZF seven-speed automatic transmission, the Griffon reaches a maximum speed of 90 km/h and an operational range of 800 km. The vehicle provides STANAG 4569 Level 4 ballistic protection along with mine, IED, fire, and CBRN protection, and can receive modular armor kits for enhanced survivability. The Griffon layout includes a six-wheel drive, a four-wheel steering system, a front powerpack, a protected cabin for the driver and gunner, and a rear compartment with anti-blast seats for eight soldiers accessed by a powered ramp. The Griffon incorporates predictive maintenance systems with sensors on suspension, brake pads, and gearbox components, feeding data into Health and Usage Monitoring Systems and Serum diagnostic tools to optimize fleet availability. Belgian variants integrate FN Herstal remote weapon stations, while shared elements include Thales optronics, Pilar V acoustic detectors, Antares 360-degree situational awareness sensors, and the Eclipse smart jammer against IED triggers.

The equipment of the Griffon combines the SCORPION Common Vetronics suite, the SICS combat information system, and CONTACT tactical radios to support collaborative combat between vehicles and infantry. Its T1 Hornet remote weapon station can mount a 12,7 mm or 7,62 mm machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, while the T2 Hornet Lite equips command and MEPAC versions. GALIX smoke grenade launchers provide multispectral screening, and the integration of laser warning systems, missile approach detection, and acoustic localization allows rapid defensive reactions. The Griffon is available in multiple variants, including VTT infantry carrier subversions, EPC command post, VOA artillery observation with telescopic mast and PASEO Crystal sensors, SAN medical evacuation, GEN engineering, and the MEPAC 120 mm mortar system capable of firing up to ten rounds per minute with a 360-degree arc and automated laying. The NRBC variant remains under development for specialized reconnaissance roles.

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.