100 ACMAT VT4s per month to be delivered to the French army.

The ACMAT (a brand used by Arquus, formerly Renault Trucks Defense) VT4 is a light, tactical, multi-purpose, non-protected vehicle. This vehicle is the successor of the well-known Peugeot P4 vehicle (Mercedes G chassis) acquired during the eighties.

ACMAT VT4 displayed by the French army at Eurosatory 2018 (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The VT4 will enable fast movement of soldiers, whether they are equipped with their combat system or not. It will be deployed on the national territory and in stabilized operations theaters, providing rapid intervention capabilities in security missions (such as Sentinelle-type operations). Moreover, its communication and information assets enable it to be integrated within a tactical force.

The procurement contract was awarded to Renault Trucks Defence, recently renamed Arquus. The Military Programming Act foresees a fleet of 4,380 vehicles, which will be divided between the three components of the French armed forces, the (Armed Forces) Fuel Supply Service and the Joint Ammunitions Service.

The VT4 is produced in two versions: standard 1 and 2. The Standard 1 vehicle offers a basic package of the Standard 2 specifications. The additional capabilities offered by the Standard 2 include a pre-equipment package enabling the integration of communication systems capabilities required for overseas deployments. The first Standard 1 vehicles will be delivered before the end of this year and the Standard 2 vehicles from 2019. The main assets of this vehicle include security thanks to numerous driving aid devices flexibility through the integration of a large range of equipment and fleet-support in the industrial network in order to ensure high availability on the national territory.

In the future, the vehicle will be equipped with a CONTACT radio as well as the SCORPION combat information system SIC.

The VT4, fruit of the VLTP-NP market, continues its qualification with the operational forces. With the establishment of a high capacity industrial production line, this qualification will ensure the delivery of 500 vehicles by the end of 2018 in the first version (standard 1).

In parallel, work on the VT4 Standard 2 continues. This vehicle equipped with radio and GPS communication systems is also and above all air-transportable, an essential feature for its use in external operations (OPEX). This Standard 2 – which must arrive in the French forces in 2019 – is particularly expected since no vehicle of the French army has offered this possibility since the P4. Last but not least, the VT4 includes a comprehensive, state-of-the-art support system, one of the major axes demanded by weapons programs to reduce hardware support costs.

The fleet supported by Arquus on French territory, in partnership with the Renault Trucks network, will offer users a dense network of contacts to carry out maintenance and repair operations, a training center in Saint-Nazaire which has already been forming the network for several months and will soon be training users. The VT4 delivered with a complete technical documentation will finally be able to be supported by the maintenance units of the armies in external operations, by using means of campaign and by respecting all the expected operational requirements.

The production lines of Saint-Nazaire allow to deliver more than 100 vehicles per month, a pace that only few competitors offer. Arquus garantees 15 years of technical assistance with spare parts already included in the sale price, updated technical documentation, training, etc. The reaction time for any technical intervention is unrivalled: 3 hours to be on site after a call. The fleet availability reaches no less than 95%, an exceptional achievement!