French Army’s Griffon MEPAC 120mm Enters Service with 3rd Marine Artillery Regiment.

The French Army’s 3rd Marine Artillery Regiment (3e RAMa) announced it has fielded the Griffon MEPAC 120mm self-propelled mortar on Oct. 1, 2025. The vehicle integrates a Thales 120mm 2R2M mortar with the ATLAS fire-control network on the VBMR Griffon, enabling faster and more precise fires for maneuver units.

The 3rd Marine Artillery Regiment confirmed on Oct. 1, 2025, that it is the first operational French Army unit to field the Griffon MEPAC 120mm mortar carrier. The capability builds on DGA deliveries and recent tech-ops evaluations, integrating Thales’s 2R2M rifled 120mm mortar, a 7.62mm remote weapon station, and the ATLAS digital fire-control suite on the 24.5-ton VBMR Griffon chassis. It provides French combined-arms units with a shoot-and-scoot indirect-fire platform that allows them to quickly enter and exit the battery, thereby improving survivability against counter-battery threats.
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The Griffon MEPAC, developed by the French defense consortium of KNDS, Arquus, and Thales, is a self-propelled mortar carrier designed to enhance the indirect fire capabilities of mechanized units. (Picture source: 3rd Marine Artillery Regiment)

The acquisition timeline saw a slight delay without changing the overall trajectory. The first example was delivered in December 2024 to the Satory detachment of the 8th Regimental Maintenance Unit for acceptance work. The Army plans ten additional deliveries in 2025, out of a total of fifty-four vehicles on order. The chosen format is clear: each artillery regiment will field eight MEPAC, enough to stand up an organic battery and spread the capability across the order of battle rather than concentrate it. This distribution increases responsiveness close to the GTIA, where demand for immediate support is constant.

On the technical side, the core of the system is the 2R2M, a rifled 120 mm mortar with semi automatic loading. Automation reduces the physical burden on the crew and stabilizes the rate of fire inside a confined armored space. To harmonize often cited figures, it is useful to distinguish two firing regimes: a short burst of twelve rounds in ninety seconds when the aim is to strike fast before moving off, and a sustained rate of about ten rounds per minute when the mission requires longer engagement. Range is quoted between eight and thirteen kilometers, depending on ammunition. Available effects include high explosive, smoke and illumination, with the possibility of integrating guided effects as stocks and needs evolve. Inertial navigation and laying, coupled to onboard sensors and computers, bring the tube onto line without lengthy setup. The ATLAS integration ensures digital routing of fire missions and alignment of procedures with other French surface to surface fires.

The Griffon hull brings mobility, logistic commonality and protection. The crew is four, in line with French doctrinal choices favoring small teams under armor with repeatable drills. Ballistic and mine protection meets the expected level for the first echelon, complemented by the GALIX smoke launcher system to mask the position under threat. The remotely operated 7.62 mm station covers self-defense against close range threats, including low-altitude drones or dismounted teams. Scorpion vetronics, with CONTACT radios, provide near real-time data flow and resilient communications. In degraded mode, the crew retains manual firing capability, useful if the electromagnetic environment tightens.

Employment is oriented to the contact zone. MEPAC deploys in direct support of infantry companies and armored platoons. The digital chain shortens the time from request to fire, which allows a threat to be suppressed, a movement to be screened with smoke, or an area to be illuminated before action. The philosophy remains the same from start to finish: fire fast, move fast. This complicates enemy counter-battery solutions and reduces vulnerability to loitering munitions. It is in this spirit that the Army’s technical branch has evoked a pocket CAESAr. The comparison aims at mobility and survivability, while making clear that the tool is not intended for deep fires but for close support, where French units have sought more mass and quicker reaction.

The architecture is complemented by the fielding of the Griffon VOA observation variant designed to detect, identify and designate. One hundred and seventeen vehicles are due to join regiments in the coming years. VOA carries the MURIN tactical radar, an optronic mast, and means for laying, rangefinding, and laser designation. The intended effect is a short sensor-to-shooter loop, via ATLAS, directly benefiting MEPAC and other French Army fire systems. Dispersing observers and sensors close to the maneuver fits a logic of decentralized support and continuity of fires with combined arms formations.

The European operational context also weighs on choices. Recent experience, notably in Ukraine, confirms the need for dispersion, fast setup, and rapid displacement. Forces that remain in position after firing expose themselves. At the same time, mechanized formations require immediate support able to follow terrain and tempo. Mortar carriers meet that requirement. They are easier to push forward than heavy guns, can deliver a brief and precise volume of fire, then slip away. MEPAC fits this trend while remaining consistent with Scorpion modernization and NATO interoperability demands. For the 3rd Marine Artillery Regiment, the issue is concrete: a new tool that fires fast, moves fast, and stays connected to the rest of the force. It is a pragmatic, employment-driven evolution that aligns fire support with the rhythm of maneuver.