Arquus Bastion APCs and equipment delivered to Cameroon UN peacekeeing detachment in Central Africa.

Cameroon has received the first of two consignments of military equipment including Arquus Bastion armored personnel carriers, 4x4s, trailers, and personal protective equipment for its troops involved in peacekeeping efforts in the neighboring Central African Republic (CAR), Ayang Macdonald reports in Defense Web.
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Arquus Bastion APCs delivered to the UN detachment of Cameroon in the Republic of Central Africa (Picture source: UN via Defense Web)

Cameroon Defense Minister Delegate Joseph Beti Assomo officially received the equipment on 11 May at the 201 Air Base located near the economic capital Douala. The delivery includes nine Arquus Bastion (also known as ‘’cyclones’’) armored personnel carriers, 35 trailers, 24 heavy-duty generator sets, and about 45 vehicles including Land Cruiser ambulances and utility vehicles. This delivery is part of a big order that will be completed in the near future, according to Groupe OMP Solutions, the French company which has been supplying equipment for Cameroon’s military since December 2014 and is also a major partner in offering services for UN peacekeeping operations around the world.

Cameroon has more than 1 000 peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, under the umbrella of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission (MINUSCA). Paul Biya, the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, decided to renew the entire equipment pool of the Cameroonian contingent deployed to MINUSCA because of its end of life cycle due to wear and tear as well as the constraints of rough operational environments and uninterrupted use.

The purchase of the equipment was done by OMP Solutions with funds from the government of Cameroon. About 70% of the purchased equipment have arrived in Central Africa. 24 more Bastion APCs are expected, General Dominique Trinquand, an official of OMP Solutions, said.

Arquus Bastion

The Bastion APC is a 4×4 armored personnel carrier vehicle produced by French Company ACMAT, a subsidiary of Arquus, formerly Renault Trucks Defense. The vehicle was unveiled at Eurosatory 2010 defense exhibition in Paris. The vehicle is in service with many African countries in different configurations. The Bastion is based on the rugged chassis of the VLRA 2 TDN-TDE 4x4 tactical vehicle series to provide a capable and reliable multirole platform. Bastion APC is economically built with common parts of VLRA 2, enabling easy maintenance and uncomplicated logistics.

The features of the Bastion APC Acmat combine excellent off-road mobility and performance with high-level protection. The Bastion APC is widely used in peacekeeping operations. In October 2018, at AUSA 2018 (Association of United States Army) defense exhibition, AM General announced a partnership with Arquus to manufacture the Bastion APC in the U.S. for the U.S. Foreign Military Sales channel.