Cockerill i-X land interceptor presented to French Ground Force's Technical Section.

As reported by Laurent Lagneau in Opex360, the idea of developing the VBAE (Véhicule Blindé d’Aide à l’Engagement, Armored Vehicle for Engagement Support) in cooperation with Belgium – involved in SCORPION via the CaMo program (Capacité Motorisée, motorized capacity) to create a successor to the VBL is now favored. As well as the development of “technological bricks” within the framework of projects related to the Future European High Mobility Augmented Armored Systems (FAMOUS 1 and 2), funded by the European Union. French companies Nexter and Arquus are involved, as well as Krauss-Maffei Wegmann from Germany, Patria from Finland, and John Cockerill from Belgium.
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The Cockerill i-X vehicle is a land interceptor equipped with a retractable weapon system developed by the company itself (Picture source: John Cockerill/Simon Dupuis)

However, Laurent Lagneau writes, if it does not appear explicitly in the French Defense draft LPM 2024-30, the VBAE program must be the subject of a contract for a feasibility study, which must be notified by the Joint Cooperation Organization in terms of d'Armement [OCCAr] on behalf of France and Belgium. In the meantime, the French Ground Force’s Technical Section (STAT) is keeping a watch on the "technological bricks" that can be useful not only for the VBAE but also for other armored vehicles. And it was therefore within the framework of the latter that John Cockerill presented the STAT with its "land interceptor", the Cockerill i-X: "As part of its technology watch, STAT was presented with the operational capabilities of the Cockerill i-X vehicle, a land interceptor equipped with a retractable weapon system developed by the Belgian company John Cockerill", it wrote on LinkedIn. "The technological bricks of this one could feed the reflection on the future vehicles of the Army". The Cockerill i-X "was able to demonstrate its capabilities in terms of mobility and aggression in the ideal setting of the Suippes camp", further specified the STAT.

The turret has a traverse of 360° with an elevation from -10° to +60°. So, the weapon station can be used to engage land and aerial targets (Picture source: John Cockerill/Simon Dupuis)

Cockerill i-X interceptor

The Cockerill i-X represents the future of wheeled combat vehicles in terms of firepower, mobility, and protection. The vehicle is powerful, light, stealthy (appearance management with adaptive camouflage, and modification of IR and acoustic signature), integrating multi-sensor data fusion technology (Smart Helmet, on-board intelligence AI, cameras, sensors: LWS, Acoustic Gunshot detection and localization)…

The Cockerill i-X is fitted with a retractable remote weapon station that can be armed with different weapons including a 25mm or 30mm automatic cannon, or anti-tank missiles. In the road position, the turret can be stored inside the vehicle and raised above the roof for firing. The turret has a traverse of 360° with an elevation from -10° to +60°. So, the weapon station can be used to engage land and aerial targets.

The chassis belongs to a type that was developed especially for the Paris-Dakar race. The vehicle can be powered by a thermal engine developing 750 hp or an 800 hp hybrid thermal-electric engine. It can reach a maximum road speed of 200 km/h or 160 km/h in desert conditions, with a maximum cruising range of 600 km.

The ballistic protection of the vehicle can reach the Level 2 STANAG 4569 against the firing of small arms 7.62mm API (Armor Piercing Incendiary) caliber while the mine protection is Level 3 to withstand an explosive blast of 8 kg TNT under the wheels and the floor of the vehicle.

The Cockerill i-X features unique onboard fully digitized Man-Machine Interface sighting and observation systems including a cockpit screen allowing the driver to pull up all necessary information, while the commander has a high-resolution screen providing the images captured by the French company Safran Electronics & Defense and the sight of the turret. The Man-Machine Interface of the Cockerill i-X Interceptor is based on the Cockerill Smart Helmet, which is worn by the operator, and features an intelligent multimodal engine allowing the management of information of the weapon system and interactions that, will be visual, auditory, and vocal.

The Cockerill i-X can reach a maximum road speed of 200 km/h or 160 km/h in desert conditions, with a maximum cruising range of 600 km.(Picture source: John Cockerill/)

Defense News May 2023