The French defense procurement agency has announced an order for an additional 271 Griffon multi-role heavy armored vehicles (VBMR) and 42 Jaguar combat and reconnaissance armored vehicles.
The contract follows the first one from 2017, when the country placed an order for 339 vehicles.
Both the Griffon and the Jaguar vehicles are built by a consortium made up of Thales, Nexter and Arquus. The consortium started deliveries in July 2019, with a six-month delay. Over 100 units have so far been handed over, including deliveries to North Africa where French troops are testing them in the hot and dry conditions.
France expects to receive a total of 1,872 Griffons and 300 Jaguars as part of the country’s Scorpion program, which encompasses the delivery of Griffons and Jaguars, in addition to smaller Serval light armored vehicles and modernized Leclerc main battle tanks. At 2,038 planned units, the Serval is poised to become the workhorse in the fleet and will be delivered in 26 variants.
The Griffon vehicles are being delivered in six versions ranging from armored personnel carrier to an ambulance vehicle.
