Wikipedia

VBMR Griffon

(Redirected from VBMR-L Serval)

The Véhicule Blindé Multi-Rôle Griffon ( English: Multirole Armoured Vehicle Griffon) or VBMR Griffon is a French six-wheel multi-purpose armoured personnel carrier developed and manufactured by KNDS France (formerly Nexter Systems), Arquus (formerly Renault Trucks Defense) and Thales. The vehicle entered service in 2019 and is, alongside the four-wheel VBMR-L Serval co-developed by KNDS France and Texelis, the successor of the Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé (VAB).

VBMR Griffon
A standard unarmed VBMR Griffon after the 2021 Bastille Day Parade (14 July 2021)
TypeMultirole armoured personnel carrier
Place of originFrance
Service history
In service2019 - present
Used byFrance
Belgium
Production history
DesignerKNDS France
Arquus
Thales
Designed2010 - 2017
ManufacturerKNDS France
Arquus
Thales
Unit costGriffon VTT (standard): €1.5 million (FY2017)[1]
Produced2018 - present
No. built575 units as of 31 December 2023[2]
VariantsArmoured personnel carrier, command post, artillery observation, self-propelled mortar, medical evacuation, and associated subvariants
Specifications
Mass25 tonnes
Length7.6 m (24 ft 11 in)
Width2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Height3.7 m (12 ft 2 in)
Crew2 (driver + gunner)
Passengers8
ArmourSTANAG 4569 Level 4 (standard)
Additional modular armour kits (optional)
Main
armament
Secondary
armament
  • GALIX self-protection system with 8 80 mm smoke grenade dischargers (all versions)
  • T2 Hornet Lite RWS with a 7.62 mm machine gun (version-specific)
EngineMilitarized Renault Trucks 6-cylinder turbodiesel engine
400 hp (300 kW)
TransmissionZF seven-speed automatic gearbox
SuspensionSix-wheel drive
Operational
range
800 km (500 mi)
Maximum speed 90 km/h (56 mph)

Components of the French SCORPION programme, the two vehicles are expected to fulfill a wide range of tasks and thus consist of several variants and subvariants. An on-board 120 mm mortar system based on the Griffon, designated Griffon MEPAC, has notably been developed. Furthermore, two distinct Serval-based air defence platforms are under development as of 2023; the Serval LAD, intended as a dedicated counter-UAV vehicle, and the Serval Mistral (or Serval TCP) for general V/SHORAD applications.

In total, 1,818 VBMR Griffon, 2,038 VBMR-L Serval, 54 Griffon MEPAC as well as at least 85 Serval LAD and Serval Mistral/TCP are to be delivered to the French Army by 2035.

Background

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Since the 2000s, the French Army had been looking to replace the emblematic VAB, which entered service in 1979. The vehicle was becoming increasingly obsolete in the face of new and upcoming conflicts.[3] After multiple postponements of a programme to modernize the French Army's Armoured Cavalry Arm, the 2013 White Paper on Defense and National Security recommended the order of 2080 multi-role armoured vehicles (1,958 heavy VBMR and 122 lightweight VBMR) as well as 248 armoured reconnaissance and combat vehicles (EBRC).[4] In 2014, the French Ministry of Defense finally entrusted their design to a consortium formed by Nexter, Arquus and Thales, who had announced their intention to collaborate as early as 2010 and had initiated preliminary work for a joint technical solution.[5]

The development and purchase of this new generation of armoured vehicles, part of a programme styled SCORPION (Synergie du COntact Renforcée par la Polyvalence et l'InfovalorisatiON; English: Contact Synergy Reinforced by Versatility and Infotainment), was officially announced on 5 December 2014.[6] The long-awaited first stage of the programme had been launched in October that year. This first stage, for a total cost of nearly €5.1 billion (FY2017), includes the replacement of the VAB by the VBMR Griffon, the replacement of the AMX-10 RC, ERC-90 Sagaie and VAB HOT by the EBRC Jaguar, the modernization of the Leclerc tank as well as the development of a unified combat information network to ensure the coherence of systems in service.[7] Under this initial €5 billion investment plan up to 2025, 780 VBMR and 110 EBRC were to be acquired.[8] The content of the following stages of the programme was to be consolidated at a later date to achieve the target set by the 2014-2019 Military Programming Law (LPM) and updated by the Defence Council's amendments on April 6, 2016: 1,722 heavy VBMR Griffon, 522 lighweight VBMR (which was to become the VBMR-L Serval), 248 EBRC Jaguar and 200 renovated Leclerc XLR.[9] The first 319 Griffon and 20 Jaguar were ordered in April 2017.[10]

In the 2019-2025 LPM adopted in July 2018, the SCORPION programme's targets were revised upwards with the planned acquisition of a total of 1,872 VBMR Griffon, 978 VMBR-L Serval, 300 EBRC Jaguar as well as the upgrade of 200 Leclerc tanks and 18 DCL armoured recovery vehicles to the XLR standard; all to be delivered by 2030.[11] The total cost of the programme was estimated at €11 billion.[12]

On 26 October 2018, the Belgian government formalized the plan to purchase 60 EBRC Jaguar and 382 VBMR Griffon for €1.5 billion. The vehicles will replace the Belgian Army's Piranha IIIC armoured personnel carriers and Dingo 2 infantry mobility vehicles. The deal includes spare parts and secure communications equipment and deliveries are scheduled to start in 2025.[13]

VBMR Griffon

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General specifications

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Design

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When the first stage of the programme was launched in 2014, the aim was to achieve an acquisition cost of €1 million per VBMR and €3 million per EBRC.[14] This was expected to be achieved in part through the large quantities of SCORPION vehicles to be acquired, enabling economies of scale. Furthermore, the consortium opted for the Griffon to share 70% of its components with the Jaguar to save on development, production and maintenance costs as well as to facilitate logistics. Constituents shared include the suspension, supplied by Strasbourg-based company Quiri, the Elips intercom system by Argenteuil-based Elno, the roof-mounted PILAR V acoustic gunfire detection and localization system by Lyon-based Metravib Defence, as well as the vetronics.[15][16] Featuring a wide range of state-of-the-art technologies, the Jaguar ultimately ended up costing twice as much as expected with an estimated unit cost of €6 million (FY2019),[17] but the Griffon nonetheless benefited from the common development with an average cost estimated at just €1.5 million per unit (FY2017),[1] 50% more than its original target price.

Derived from the BMX 01 prototype proposed by Renault Trucks Defense, the Griffon benefits from a classic layout. It's a huge armoured truck with six-wheel drive and four-wheel steering (front and rear axles), with the powertrain at the front. The vehicle weighs in at around 25 tonnes in combat order, roughly twice as much as the 13-tonne VAB. The embarked combat group of a standard Griffon (the VTT Félin) comprises 10 fully-equipped soldiers; a driver, a dedicated gunner as well as 8 infantrymen, including the commander. In the crew cabin, the driver (front left) and the remote turret gunner (front right) are sheltered by a one-piece armoured windshield. They access their seats through side doors fitted with armoured windows.[18] The rear part of the body is taken up by the compartment, with two small armoured windows on each side, where 8 men sit facing each other on anti-blast seats fixed to the side walls. A ramp at the back, featuring an emergency door and an episcope, that comes down low enough for the troops to skip on and off enables entry and exit. The rear compartment is surmounted by four roof hatches: one at the front right, behind the driver; one above the gunner's station, behind the remotely-operated turret; and two at the rear.[19] The Griffon features a militarized variant of a commercial Renault-Volvo diesel powertrain rated at 400 hp, an automatic gearbox and independent running gears, enabling the vehicle to reach a top speed of 90 km/h and a range of up to 800 km. The engine is rail-mounted, facilitating maintenance operations. It is able to run on various types of fuel to facilitate replenishment wherever in the world French forces would be deployed.[20][21] The Griffon also incorporates air conditioning and heating for comfort, as well as an overpressure protection system in order to keep the crew and passengers safe from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats.[22] Crossing capacities are of the order of 1.2 m for a ford, 50 cm for a step and 1 m for a ditch.[23]

The Griffon is designed to offer STANAG 4569 Level 4 armour protection as standard, being capable of withstanding 14.5 mm armour-piercing ammunition, 155 mm artillery shell splinters, IEDs and mine blasts, thus significantly improving the safety of the soldiers engaged over the VAB.[22][24] Furthermore, armour protection levels can be raised beyond STANAG Level 4 through the installation of a modular armour package. A deployed French Griffon GTIA (in the French Army, a GTIA is a combined arms battle group composed of a little over 1,000 men) would be composed of two or three infantry companies equipped with Griffon vehicles, and a Jaguar cavalry squadron.[25] Although its structure would be modular according to the missions assigned to it, each conventional infantry company is expected to have at its disposal: a command section comprising a command Griffon (Griffon EPC), a mobile maintenance workshop one (Griffon ELI) and 2 medical evacuation ones (Griffon SAN); three infantry sections with 4 Griffon each (Griffon VTT Félin); a combat engineering section with 3 Griffon (Griffon GEN); a fire support section with 2 Griffon equipped with 81 mm mortars (Griffon MO81), another with 2 Griffon equipped with Akeron MP missiles (Griffon MMP) and a last one with a Griffon embarking a sniper section (Griffon STE).[26][27] In addition, there is an artillery observation Griffon (Griffon VOA) as well as several trucks and light all-terrain vehicles.[28]

The Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA), the French defense procurement agency, announced the Griffon's qualification on June 24, 2019, enabling the first vehicles to be delivered on July 4, 2019. By the end of 2021, 339 units of the VMBR Griffon had been delivered to the French Army. The first operational units were displayed on the Champs-Élysées during the 2019 Bastille Day Parade. By 2025, the SCORPION infantry should have achieved its first infovalorization and collaborative combat capability, with the Griffon multi-role armoured vehicles having begun to replace the quadragenarian VAB in 2019 and half of the Griffon ordered expected to have been delivered. In the 2024-2030 Military Programming Law, it is stated 1,437 VBMR Griffon are to enter French service by 2030 and 1,818 by 2035. 54 Griffon MEPAC are also expected to be delivered to the French Army by 2030.[29]

Sensors and situational awareness

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The data collected by the sensors equipping the Griffon are fed into the SCORPION bubble via a common combat information network, which is the SICS (Système d'Information du Combat de SCORPION; English: SCORPION Combat Information System), developed by Atos-Bull, and the CONTACT (COmmunications Numériques TACtiques et de Théâtre; English: Tactical and theater digital communications) software defined radio system developed by Thales. The SICS interconnects all the players in a combined arms battle group, while the CONTACT provides communication capabilities between the vehicles, with simultaneous and real time voice and data transmission. The Griffon is characterized by its vetronics i.e. the architecture of its on-board electronic systems.[30] Also developed by Thales, the architecture is common to all SCORPION vehicles. It requires compact yet powerful computers and links all navigation, protection, observation and communication systems. It manages and merges all data within the vehicle. The SCORPION Common Vetronics ensure the processing and exchange of intra- and inter-vehicle data, enabling collaborative combat. In addition, vetronics play a decisive role in vehicle protection, thanks in particular to algorithms that offer the vehicle commander and his men several options for dealing with a threat, allowing them to opt for the one they deem the most adequate for the situation.[31] Meanwhile, Safran's Epsilon 10 inertial navigation system provides precise position, autonomous engagement and navigation capabilities to the vehicle, including in GNSS-denied environments.[22]

The Griffon's countermeasures include a laser alert detector, a missile launch detector, a gunshot detection system, an infrared jammer and an anti-IED jammer.[22] It will integrate both the ECLIPSE smart software defined jammer from Thales, which provides electronic protection against IED/RCIED threats as well as the company's ANTARES optronics system. The ECLIPSE instantly detects and responds to the triggering of improvised explosive devices by jamming radio remote control signals across a wide range of frequencies without interfering with the radio communication systems used by friendly forces.[32] The ANTARES combines precise laser warning and local situational awareness capabilities in a single electro-optical head. The module can be mounted on either the vehicle's roof or turret and provides a 360° azimuthal field of view around the vehicle, day and night, and elevation coverage from -15° to +75°, which also makes it possible to spot snipers on rooftops.[33][34] With a resolution of 5 million pixels, it provides colour video for daytime operations and black-and-white video for night-time operations. In daylight, the system can see an armoured vehicle at a distance of 500 m or a small drone at a distance of 250 m, and detect a human being up to 150 m away. Thanks to its built-in laser warning system, the ANTARES also issues an alert if the vehicle is targeted by a laser rangefinder or designator. It can locate laser threats to within 1.5 degrees as well as detect the launch of an incoming missile, allowing the crew to react as it sees fit.[33][34] Additionally, the vehicle features the PILAR V, a roof-mounted device capable of detecting, identifying and locating shots from small arms, medium-calibre weapons, mortar shells, shaped charge rockets or RPGs in real time. It provides a 360° coverage and is always active. It can filter outgoing fire to avoid false detections and false reports to the SICS combat information system, and can detect whether single or burst shots are being fired in the vehicle's direction. The PILAR V is accurate to within 2° in azimuth and 3° in elevation, with a 10% margin for distance estimation. However, if other Griffon or SCORPION vehicles are in the vicinity, their own PILAR V systems will detect the shot as well and can exchange the data instantly. The vetronics will then triangulate to pinpoint the shooter's position and share the information across all vehicles. The vetronics will also be able to automatically direct the remotely-operated turret towards this position, and propose firing among other options. This threat discrimination and precise target designation capability improves situational awareness, immediate reaction and the effectiveness of retaliatory fire.[35][36]

Countermeasures yet to equip the Griffon include an active protection system; one is being developed by Thales and Nexter for integration on SCORPION vehicles under the PROMETEUS (PROtection Multi Effets Terrestre Unifiée; English: Unified terrestrial multi-effect protection) programme, which aims to develop a global armour protection system for SCORPION vehicles combining three technologies: "versatile passive protection", "reactive protection" and "active protection".[37][38] The latter, designated Diamant, is a distributed hard-kill active protection system being developed by Thales comprising four frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar sensors mounted on the corners of the vehicle, a number of effector modules mounted around the perimeter of the vehicle, on its roof and around its hood, and a power supply system for the control unit computer. The system uses the radars to detect and track potential threats such as anti-tank rockets and anti-tank guided missiles. Once the threat has been detected, the system instructs the appropriate effector module to launch a countermeasure along the threat's trajectory, in order to destroy or degrade it sufficiently so that it can no longer perforate the vehicle's passive armor.[39]

The Griffon is designed to simplify maintenance. The vehicles are fitted with sensors on key components, such as suspension, brake pads and gearboxes, enabling predictive maintenance.[3][40] The principle is to deploy Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) on these key functions to generate continuous data on vehicle activity. This data is stored and analyzed to determine remaining potential, anticipate breakdowns and program interventions at the right moment. This method, one of several being explored as part of the MCO-T 2025 plan, is intended to help streamline support operations and improve vehicle availability. HUMS sensors can, for example, take the form of a dynamic engine oil quality control system. This control tool will allow oil changes to be carried out when necessary, rather than systematically after a set number of kilometers.[40] The adoption of predictive maintenance, agreed in a rider to the SCORPION contract, meant developing the software layer needed to coordinate sensors and analyze data. SCORPION vehicles are the first in the French military designed to be equipped with HUMS sensors; adding this capability is therefore not a complex operation. It boils down to connecting a few cables to a central box located behind the vehicle's driver.[40] The maneuver is also closely linked to the SERUM (Système d'Entretien et de Réparation Unique du Maintenancier; English: Maintainer's Unique Maintenance and Repair System) cases developed by Arquus. This diagnostic tool takes the form of a computer which can be plugged into the vehicle to perform maintenance operations or identify faults.[40]

Armament

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The VBMR Griffon, in its standard VTT Félin configuration, is equipped with a gyro-stabilized T1 Hornet remote controlled weapon station provided by Arquus. It is armed with either a 12.7 mm or 7.62 mm machine gun, or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. The ammunition box is mounted on the left side of the turret and holds 300 rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition, or 1,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, or 64 40 mm grenades.[41] The lower part of the turret, meanwhile, incorporates an independent GALIX countermeasure system developed and manufactured by Lacroix Defense and Nexter, which consists of 8 80 mm smoke grenade dischargers linked to the ANTARES laser warning system. It operates alongside the missile launch detector, the PILAR V, the ECLIPSE and the infrared jammer. The GALIX is a self-protection system that makes vehicle protection more reliable through an automatic detection action, which drastically reduces protection engagement time by automating the decision phase. When a shot is detected within a 5 km radius, the sensors transfer threat and angle-of-attack data to the vehicle's fire-control system. In response, the GALIX will launch multispectral countermeasures in less than a second, capable of disrupting the opposing gunner.[42] Essentially, the grenades deploy a cloud of smoke that mask the vehicle in visible range as well as all laser wavebands (target designators, laser rangefinders, etc) and large infrared bands (0.8-14 microns) covering bands I, III and IV. This non-toxic protective cloud lasts up to 90 seconds and is created from ground level up to a maximum height of 7 meters and to a distance of between 20 and 60 meters from the vehicle. Furthermore, the system is designed not only for self-defense (passive action), but is also capable of neutralizing hostile personnel (as it can fire a variety of lethal and non-lethal charges).[43] The Hornet is electrically powered and has a 360° rotation, with elevation from -20° to +60°. The turret is controlled from inside the vehicle using a joystick associated to a dedicated 13’3 16/9 full HD touch screen.[41] The day and night sighting and fire-control system it integrates (the MINEO from Safran, mounted to the right side of the main armament) grants the vehicle commander and gunner a wider field of vision for target detection, recognition and identification.[22] The MINEO combines an uncooled thermal imager, a laser rangefinder and three fixed daylight cameras with fields of view of 40°, 10° and 3°. Close to the human eye, the first is used to scan wide and provide an overall understanding of the situation. If something or someone catches his eye, the shooter can switch to the medium field and then concentrate on identifying the threat with the smaller field. The same goes for the thermal camera, this time with 14° and 7° fields. The rangefinder, meanwhile, provides the ability to mark a target.[44]

With variants and subvariants incorporating equipment and/or systems specific to them, Griffon-derived fire support vehicles possess their own main armament, ranging from Akeron MP missiles to the MEPAC on-board 120 mm mortar system. They nonetheless also integrate a remotely-operated turret as secondary armament (typically the T2 Hornet Lite equipped with a 7.62 mm machine gun as well as the GALIX, and featuring the same MINEO sighting system as the T1 Hornet).[45][46]

Each SCORPION vehicle's remote controlled weapon station is a contributor to the intelligence acquisition and sharing chain. As common SCORPION equipment, they are the "eyes" of collaborative combat. Each remotely-operated turret is integrated into the vehicle's vetronics, which in turn is linked to the other elements of a French company team or GTIA via the SICS combat information system. This facilitates the sharing of tactical information in real time, allowing every section to have a precise idea of the situation of friendly vehicles and enabling SCORPION Vehicle A (whether a Griffon, Serval, Jaguar or Leclerc XLR) to engage a target identified by SCORPION Vehicle B.[44]

Configurations

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To rationalize development, production and maintenance costs, the French army has opted for a semi-modular platform. The front part of the vehicle, from the engine compartment to the intermediate bulkhead, will be identical for the entire fleet. Only the rear half, from the second axle upwards, will be modular. It will therefore be possible, for example, to alter a Griffon MMP subvariant into a Griffon VTT Félin one simply by replacing the missile supports in the rear section of the cabin with seats. This novel configuration will enable the French Army to efficiently replace the 30 or so variants of the VAB.[47] The Griffon will be available in six main variants: VTT (all-terrain troop transport vehicle), EPC (command post vehicle), VOA (artillery observation vehicle), SAN (medical evacuation vehicle), MEPAC (on-board 120 mm mortar for contact support) and NRBC (CBRN defense vehicle).[47] Apart from these variants, there are many levels of adaptability for the Griffon. In addition to the common base, this central attribute of modularity extends to turret and protection kits. Not all vehicles are equipped with these kits from the outset, as they are installed according to mission requirements.[47]

Griffon VTT

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The Griffon VTT represents the principal variant of the VBMR Griffon, with over 1,000 vehicles to be delivered. Its first and most common configuration, the Félin (infantry carrier), was qualified for service on 24 June 2019. The Griffon VTT will consist of seven subvariants: Félin, STE (sniper section carrier), MMP (medium-range missile platform), MO81 (dismounted 81 mm mortar vehicle), GEN (combat engineering vehicle), ELI (light intervention element vehicle; the principle is that of a mobile maintenance workshop) and RAV (refuelling vehicle).[47]

Griffon EPC

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The Griffon EPC is effectively indistinguishable from the standard VTT Félin from the outside.[46][48] The reasoning behind this is simple: to prevent an ordinary adversary from identifying the variant, and therefore from focusing on high-value targets.[48] Differences include the protrusion created by the addition of the mast and the roof-mounted T2 Hornet Lite remote controlled weapon station incorporating a 7.62 mm machine gun and the GALIX, instead of the standard T1 model. On the other hand, the rear compartment has been redesigned to make room for a command post. Carrying 7 soldiers (1 pilot and 1 gunner at the front and 5 at the rear manning the command post), it has been designed to accommodate communications equipment, large screens, a blackboard, a printer and everything else needed for collaborative combat (vetronics, CONTACT software-defined radio, SCORPION combat information system, ANTARES optronics system, fire start detector, etc.).[46] The air-conditioning has also been reinforced to protect the on-board electronics in extreme climatic conditions.[46][48] The Griffon EPC was qualified for service by the DGA in November 2020. 333 units are to be delivered to the French Army.[46]

Griffon SAN

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As for the Griffon Sanitaire, abbreviated Griffon SAN, it will be used for casualty care and evacuation. This variant was qualified for service by the DGA on 12 September 2022. It is equipped with a medical module, facilities for storing and integrating medical equipment, and a casualty loading system comprising a mobile table and a lifting winch. The interior configuration can accommodate seated or lying patients, with a capacity of four stretchers. The SAN features all the elements common to other Griffon variants (mobility, armament, protection and connectivity).[49] 196 units in total are to be delivered to the French Armed Forces Health Service and will be complemented by 135 Serval SAN and 103 VLTP-NP SAN vehicles.[50]

Griffon VOA

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The Griffon VOA (artillery observation vehicle) was qualified for service in June 2023. It features Safran's new generation PASEO Crystal high-resolution sensors suite installed on top of a telescopic mast, which integrates an inertial navigation system (derived from the company's Sigma 20 family) based on hemispherical resonator gyroscope (HRG) technology.[22][51] The PASEO Crystal incorporates five systems: a laser rangefinder, a laser pointer, a laser designator, a TV day channel and a thermal camera providing the night channel (with their images able to be combined in low light conditions, especially during short winter days, at dawn or dusk). The optronic observation mast provides surveillance, artillery observation and designation, fire control and geolocation information, including for airstrikes with a JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller).[52] The Griffon VOA is also equipped with the MURIN (Moyen de surveillance Utilisant un Radar d’observation des INtervalles; English: Interval Radar Surveillance System) ground observation radar developed by Thales, which can be deployed outside the vehicle.[52][53] This variant of the Griffon will be able to spot, identify and monitor virtually anything that moves, rolls or flies within a 24 km radius and at an altitude of 500 m (from vehicles to the movements of an individual burying an IED or mine for example, and from shell bursts to helicopters up to 500 m above sea level).[54][55] 177 Griffon VOA are to be delivered to the French Army in total.[56]

Griffon MEPAC

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Meanwhile, in December 2019, the MEPAC (Mortier Embarqué Pour l'Appui au Contact; English: Embedded mortar for contact support) was selected by France for integration on a new self-propelled mortar platform. The system is to be integrated on a dedicated variant of the Griffon, designated Griffon MEPAC. An evolution of the Thales 2R2M 120 mm semi-automatic mortar system, it can fire up to ten rounds per minute against targets up to 13 km away with improved accuracy; the vehicle can then set itself in motion while closing the roof hatches at the same time.[45] As for shells, two new developments are expected; the MURAT 120 mm reduced-risk ammunition, offering a 12% increase in maximum range with no loss of effectiveness, and a metric-precision ammunition with a 15 km range.[57] As it can be put into road position as quickly as into battery, it is designed to avoid counter-battery fire more easily, while providing better protection for the crew. The Griffon MEPAC, like the Griffon EPC, is virtually indistinguishable from the Griffon VTT Félin from the outside. Whereas the latter is designed to carry 10 fully-equipped soldiers, the MEPAC will accommodate a reduced crew of four artillerymen, namely the pilot, the gun leader and two soldiers operating the MEPAC. The chief will switch from the front of the vehicle during the driving phase, to a position at the rear to command the battery and firing.[58] Reducing the crew from five as originally intended to four has also freed up considerable space for additional ammunition. The turntable-mounted mortar can be rotated through 360° and has a hydraulic-powered elevation range of 40° to 85°. The Griffon MEPAC will be equipped with a computerized fire-control system, automatic laying system and inertial navigation system from Thales as well as a T2 Hornet Lite remotely-operated turret armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun and fitted with the GALIX.[45] It will also be integrated into the ATLAS (Automatisation des Tirs et Liaisons de l’Artillerie Sol/sol; English: Automated firing and ground-to-ground artillery links) artillery system, while retaining the option of firing in degraded mode (tube movement by manual pump, orientation by goniometer, manual loading from roof hatches and firing under manual control).[57][45] 54 units are to be delivered to the French Army from the fourth quarter of 2023 to 2027, with a prototype scheduled for delivery as soon as 2020, and qualification testing expected to take place between 2022 and 2023.[58]

Griffon NRBC

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The Griffon NRBC is still under study as of 2021. Its development is deemed complex as the aim is a full-fledged weapon system dedicated to CBRN countermeasures. It is therefore not scheduled for delivery before 2025.[59] The vehicles will equip the 2nd Dragoon Regiment. 25 units are expected to be delivered.[60][59]

VBMR-L Serval

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VBMR-L Serval
 
A VBMR-L Serval (May 2022)
TypeMultirole armoured personnel carrier
Place of originFrance
Service history
In service2022 - present
Used byFrance
Production history
DesignerNexter
Texelis
Designed2018 - 2021
ManufacturerNexter
Texelis
Unit costServal VPB (standard): €1.2 million (FY2021)[61]
Produced2021 - present
No. built189 units as of 31 December 2023[62]
VariantsArmoured patrol, ISTAR, communications relay, electronic warfare, and associated subvariants
Specifications
Mass17 tonnes
Length6.7 m (22 ft 0 in)
Width2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Height3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
Crew2 (driver + gunner)
Passengers8
ArmourSTANAG 4569 Level 4 (standard)
Additional modular armour kits (optional)
Main
armament
  • T2 Hornet Lite or T1 Hornet RWS with a 7.62 mm or a 12.7 mm machine gun (standard variant)
  • Akeron MP missiles, Mistral 3 missiles, ARX 30 RWS, MO-120 RT mortar, LLR 81mm mortar, etc (depending on the version)
Secondary
armament
  • GALIX self-protection system with 8 80 mm smoke grenade dischargers (all versions)
  • T2 Hornet Lite RWS with a 7.62 mm machine gun (version-specific)
EngineMilitarized Cummins 6-cylinder in-line diesel engine
375 hp (280 kW)
TransmissionAllison 3000 Series automatic gearbox
SuspensionFour-wheel drive
Operational
range
600 km (370 mi)
Maximum speed 100 km/h (62 mph)

The Véhicule Blindé Multi-Rôle Léger Serval (English: Lightweight Multirole Armoured Vehicle Serval) or VBMR-L Serval is also intended as a replacement for the VAB, thus complementing the heavy VBMR Griffon. Weighing in at 17 tonnes in combat order, the Serval is roughly 25% heavier than the VAB.[63] Four-wheeled and designed to operate in areas of contact with the enemy, the vehicle is particularly maneuverable and will primarily equip infantry units of light brigades such as the 11th Airborne Brigade and 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade.[64]

The contract for the vehicle's development was awarded in February 2018 to Nexter and Texelis. 489 units are expected to be delivered by 2025 and 978 by 2030.[65][66] Beyond the 978 Serval to be acquired through the SCORPION programme, 1,060 additional Serval vehicles are to be ordered under the VLTP-P segment haut programme and delivered by 2035. The latter are expected to be deployed within the land forces to reinforce the support and back-up resources of SCORPION units.[67]

SCORPION programme

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Development

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The two SCORPION vehicles that preceded the Serval facilitated the latter's rapid development, which only took 3 years, as well as its average cost of acquisition of just €1.2 million per vehicle (FY2021); as is the case with the Griffon, this is much less than such a vehicle would've cost had it been developed as a stand-alone project.[68] Like the Griffon, the Serval can embark a combat group of up to 10 men and integrates the same equipment, in particular the vetronics, threat detectors and SICS combat information system, enabling it to be integrated into the SCORPION collaborative combat network. In its base VPB variant, it is equipped with either a remotely-operated gyro-stabilized T2 Hornet Lite turret armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun or the T1 Hornet armed with either a 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine gun. Both turrets are also fitted with the GALIX countermeasure system.[44]

According to Nexter, the Serval's dimensions enable it to be easily deployed in external theaters, since an A400M can carry 2 Serval in combat order, in comparison to just 1 Griffon or Jaguar. In May 2022, the first 4 units were delivered to the French Army and 189 units by the end of 2023.[67]

Configurations

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The Serval under the SCORPION programme will be available in four main variants: VPB (armored patrol vehicle), SA2R (surveillance-target acquisition-intelligence-reconnaissance), NCT (tactical communications node) and GE (electronic warfare).[63] The Serval VPB, the most common variant, will consist of up to 10 subvariants, most of them comparable to those adopted for the Griffon VTT family: Infanterie (light infantry carrier, notably airborne and mountain infantry), MMP (medium-range missile), EPC (command post), OA (artillery observation), MO81 (81 mm dismounted mortar), MO120 (120 mm towed mortar), GEN (combat engineering), SAN (medical evacuation), RAV (refuelling) and SATCP (dismounted Mistral 3 very short-range surface-to-air missile system).[67]

The Serval SA2R consists of intelligence processing (Serval TDR) and acquisition (Serval ACQ) subvariants. The latter carries a Thales MURIN ground observation radar and additionally integrates an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) system.[67] As for the Serval NCT, it is indicative of the efforts made to bring the theater network under armour and make it mobile. It will be based on four subvariants whose specificity will be to be able to communicate whether static (on-the-pause / OTP) or on the move (on-the-move / OTM).[67][69]

At the end of 2023, the DGA ordered 420 additional Serval vehicles as a follow-up to the first order of 364 units in 2020. This new order will enable new capabilities, notably the acquisition of the electronic warfare variant, in addition to the previous three.[70]

VLTP-P segment haut programme

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Identical to the Serval being delivered to the SCORPION units, the vehicles to be acquired under the Véhicule Léger Tactique Polyvalent Protégé segment haut (English: Multi-purpose light tactical vehicles - protected high segment) programme are intended to equip "combat and support units in contact with the SCORPION environment".[71]

"Already available, already qualified, already tried and tested in more ways than one", according to the French Army's Technical Section (STAT), the Serval has been chosen to form the "high protected" segment of the VLTP range of vehicles. It will be replacing various types of unarmoured vehicles among support regiments at brigade, division or joint level. While the common aim is to modernize and standardize, the SCORPION and VLTP P segment haut each retain their own timetable and budget. The first units of the 1,060 Serval VLTP-P vehicles (10 Serval PC ATLAS for the artillery) are expected to be delivered in 2025.[72]

Air defence platforms

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Of all the applications envisaged for the Serval, surface-to-air defence and anti-drone warfare are the latest introduced; functions anticipated by the French Army to fill the gap left by its current patchwork of specialized equipment but finally brought to the fore by the 2024-2030 LPM. The latter calls for the entry into service of 12 counter-UAV (Serval LAD) and 24 very short-range air defence (Serval Mistral) systems by 2030, as well as "at least" 40 and 45 systems respectively by 2035. In the absence of clearly defined requirements as of 2023 for the Serval LAD, the team led by Nexter is working on several concepts. Weapon systems under consideration for its armament range from 40 mm automatic grenade launchers to 30 mm autocannons.[73][74] Two paths are envisaged; one based on several carriers and the other on an "all-in-one" solution. The former would have the merit of carrying more powerful sensors, like an X-band radar capable of detecting threats several tens of kilometers away, discriminating appropriately and anticipating more accurately. This proposal implies a solution on the "heavy" side, which will depend on robust communications. Some have deemed the equation rather antithetical to high-intensity warfare, which means maintaining combat capability with disrupted, degraded or possibly even destroyed resources.[75] Complex and costly, this concept seems to be disappearing in favor of a single vehicle capable of acting autonomously to compensate for any failure in the chain of command, a prime target for an adversary on equal terms. The Serval equipped with a ARX 30 remotely-operated turret, which was unveiled by Nexter in 2022 as a scale model, is thus increasingly considered the likely solution to be adopted.[76] Development of the ARX 30 remote controlled weapons station benefitted from the work carried on the RapidFire system by Nexter and Thales for the French Navy. Unveiled at the end of 2021, this turret is designed around the 30M781 30 mm cannon arming the Tiger attack helicopter. The system is expected to benefit from intelligent ammunition tailored for anti-UAV missions. Two programmable airburst munitions are under development, one timed and the other proximity-fired.[77] Nexter is also pushing for the idea of a hybrid solution, proportional to the threat and operational context. Alongside the 30 mm cannon may come the NEROD RF anti-drone jamming rifle from French company MC2 Technologies. There remains the central issue of target detection and tracking as the sensors to be associated with the platform are yet to be decided as of August 2023.[78]

Replacing, among others, the PAMELA system, the Serval Mistral will have the dual mission of providing fixed and accompanying surface-to-air defence. Two Mistral-based concepts will coexist. The first is the aforementioned Serval SATCP subvariant within the SCORPION program and is already qualified. It is the only one operational as of 2023 and is based on dismounted Mistral stations. The other concept, soon to be "resurrected", represents the Serval Mistral, which integrates an ATLAS RC remotely-operated turret on the vehicle, thus granting the ability to accompany the advance and carry out fire actions while remaining on board. According to initial plans, this turret will carry "at least two" Mistral 3 missiles" in addition to defensive armament.[79] The STAT points out that the French Army will then have no delay in setting up the battery, eliminating all that this implies in terms of vulnerability. The Serval Mistral will carry the entire environment needed to build up complete capabilities, including an X-band radar for detection and a specific command component for deconfliction logics.[80]

List of variants and subvariants

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VBMR Griffon

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Griffon MEPAC

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VBMR-L Serval

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Serval LAD

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Serval Mistral/TCP

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Operators

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VBMR Griffon

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  •   Belgium - Ordered 382 units of the VBMR Griffon in October 2018.[13]
  •   France - Planned purchase of 1818 units of the VBMR Griffon.[81][82] 1,437 are to be delivered by 2030 and all 1,818 units by 2035.

Griffon MEPAC

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  •   Belgium - Ordered at least 24 Griffon MEPAC to replace the 120 mm mortar.[83]
  •   France - 54 Griffon MEPAC ordered for the French Army.

VBMR-L Serval

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  •   France - Planned acquisition of 978 VBMR-L Serval under the SCORPION programme,[65][66] with full delivery expected by 2030. 1,060 additional Serval vehicles to be purchased under the VLTP P segment haut programme and delivered by 2035.

Serval LAD

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  •   France - 12 Serval LAD to be delivered by 2030 and at least 40 by 2035.

Serval Mistral/TCP

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  •   France - 24 Serval Mistral to be delivered by 2030 and at least 45 Serval TCP by 2035.

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