Soframe unveils MOSAIC project for French army reconnaissance vehicles.

Soframe, subsidiary of the Alsace-based Lohr group, which specialises in protected vehicles operated by armed forces and security units, has unveiled its MOSAIC project. MOSAIC is a platform designed to meet the requirements for light reconnaissance and support vehicles for combat units.
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MOSAIC is a platform designed to meet the requirements for light reconnaissance and support vehicles (Picture source: Soframe)

MOSAIC, whose acronym (Mission Observation Surveillance Acquisition Investigation Combat) reflects the multi-purpose nature of this type of vehicle, is a protected mobility solution whose open architecture lends itself to numerous variations. MOSAIC notably meets the expected capabilities of the future French army’s Véhicule Blindé d’Aide à l’Engagement, or VBAE, (Armoured Engagement Support Vehicle) programme in three main configurations:
• reconnaissance and intelligence gathering vehicle,
• direct fire vehicle,
• transport vehicle for the Medium Range Missile (MMP) team.

Designed with a view to a return to symetrical high-intensity type engagements, MOSAIC has been the subject of major innovations in the field of ballistic protection. The platform’s bio-inspired architecture uses flue pipes to channel the blast of explosions, a patented principle. The armored body uses solutions combining very high hardness steels (HHS) and high-performance non-metallic materials that provide the crew and sensitive systems with the level of protection expected for a forward combat vehicle.

MOSAIC also innovates in the field of high mobility. The drivetrain has been designed to accommodate, without modification, the components of a full electric hybrid that will give the vehicle the ability to drive silently for stealth reconnaissance missions. The electric system, a derivative and militarised version of the technologies mastered by the LOHR Group in the field of low CO2 emission public transport systems, also provides power generation for the weapon system and can add its torque to that of the main engine to generate instantaneous acceleration, a guarantee of survival in certain combat situations. The electric propulsion mode is also very easy to control for operational robotics applications in which a MOSAIC vehicle can be remotely operated without crew.

MOSAIC can accommodate a crew of two to four people depending on the version. This crew can use
different combinations of weapons with calibres ranging from 7.62 to 30 mm, remotely operated or not. In any case, the architecture reserves a solution for a «chest out » posture. Compartments are arranged for carrying mini-drones, investigation robots and other innovative systems for the decades to come.

MOSAIC can also integrate all the equipment labelled «Scorpion» common to all the vehicles in the
eponymous range of the French army. By maintaining very open mechanical and system architectures, facilitating the integration of specific equipment of its customers and partners, MOSAIC has, from the outset, considered the export potential of VBAE.

About SOFRAME and the LOHR group

LOHR, is a private French group based in Alsace near Strasbourg, a world specialist for over 55 years in the design, manufacture and marketing of transport systems for goods and people generating 80% of the its turnover on the export market. With a global manufacturing footprint including six plants across three continents, 1,500 employees, a R&D center of 120 engineers and technicians, LOHR group continues to assert its position as the world leader in car transporters, develop its piggyback activity and promote projects for sustainable mobility.

SOFRAME, a subsidiary of the LOHR group, is a key player in the design-integration of defence and logistics systems and services to meet the new needs of the defence industry.