French Army: News

The French army received the first VBMR Griffon armored personnel carriers with a wheel formula 6x6

On July 4, 2019, in the presence of the Minister of the Armed Forces of France, Florence Parley, at the plant of the French manufacturer of armored vehicles Nexter, the official adoption of the first batch of the latest VBMR Griffon armored vehicles with a 6x6 wheel formula was adopted by the French army.

Griffon is one of the three key vehicles of the promising wheeled armored vehicles of the French army, developed as part of the SCORPION program.

Griffon VBMR is a 6x6 wheeled armored vehicle that is designed to replace the old VAB 4x4 armored personnel carriers that have been in service with the French army for more than 40 years. Griffon is designed according to a modular architecture, thanks to which it will be delivered in five configurations, including an armored personnel carrier, a command post, an artillery observation post and an ambulance. Griffon has a maximum total weight of 24.5 tons and can carry up to 10 troops. The main armament of the Griffon consists of a remote-controlled combat module with a machine gun of 12.7-mm or 7.62-mm caliber or a 40-mm automatic grenade launcher.

By the end of 2019, the French army plans to receive 92 VBMR Griffon armored personnel carriers, and a total of 1,872 until 2030.







https://bmpd.livejournal.com/3697804.html

France buys FN Herstal SCAR-H PR sniper rifles and Glock 17 G5 pistols

As French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parley announced on January 6, 2020, the Ministry’s General Directorate of Arms (Direction générale de l'Armement - DGA) signed a contract with the Belgian company FN Herstal under the Fusil de précision semi-automatique (FSPA) contract for the supply of French armed forces forces of 2620 SCAR-H PR sniper rifles under the NATO cartridge 7.62 x 51 mm. Deliveries will be made from the beginning of 2020 to 2022.


Ordered for the French Armed Forces sniper rifle FN Herstal SCAR-H PR chambered for NATO 7.62 x 51 mm (s) Minister of Armed Forces of France

According to the Ministry of Armed Forces of France, the contract is worth about 100 million euros, and the delivery also includes day and night sights and sniper cartridges. The SCAR-H PR consortium for DGA rifles, led by FN Herstal, also includes the Belgian company OIP Sensor Systems (optical sights), the German company Telefunken-Racoms (night sights), and the German company MEN (cartridges).

In the French army, SCAR-H PR rifles will be replaced in the infantry divisions as "Marxman" rifles by FR-F2 sniper rifles of the same caliber of 7.62 x 51 mm, which have been in service since 1986 and are a modernized version of the FR-F1 rifles - sniper version still pre-war French linear 7.5mm magazine rifles MAS 36.

Semi-automatic rifle SCAR-H PR (Precision Rifle) chambered for NATO cartridge 7.62 x 51 mm is a sniper version of the famous automatic rifle SCAR, developed by FN Herstal initially for the US Special Operations Command. To date, it is known about the procurement of SCAR-H PR rifles by the armed forces of Lithuania and Portugal. US Special Operations Forces use a variant of this SCAR-H TPR (Tactical Precision Rifle) rifle under the designation Mk 20 SSR (Sniper Support Rifle).

Also on January 6, 2020, French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parley announced the conclusion of a DGA contract worth € 44 million for the purchase of 74596 Glock 17 G5 9 mm pistols for the French armed forces. Deliveries began at the end of 2019 and will be carried out by 2022. Deliveries are made by a consortium of the Austrian company Glock and the companies Sellier et Bellot (cartridges) and UTM (training kits).

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/3899032.html

The French army ordered a 120 mm MEPAC self-propelled mortar

On January 24, 2020, the Thales Group announced that the French Armed Forces General Directorate of Armaments (Direction Générale de l'Armement - DGA) issued a contract for the development, testing and supply of the French army to a consortium of Thales, Nexter Systems and Arquus on December 30, 2019. 54 new 120-mm MERAS self-propelled mortars (Mortier Еmbarqué Рour l'Аppui au Сontact) as part of the program for creating promising armored vehicles SCORPION (Synergie du contact renforcée par la polyvalence et l'infovalorisation).

The MERAS self-propelled mortar system was made on the basis of the new French armored vehicle VBMR Griffon with a 6 × 6 wheel arrangement (produced by the same consortium) with the installation of a 120 mm 2R2M rifled mortar manufactured by TDA Armaments owned by Thales in the fighting compartment. The mortar is mounted on a turntable with electric drives and retractable devices, and is equipped with a semi-automatic loading system and a modern fire control system. The calculation of the mortar itself is only two people.

The development of the MERAS mortar system was launched by the consortium in November 2018. Production of MERAS prototypes and their testing should be completed by the end of 2023, after which the supply of DGA serial systems will begin, which should be completed in 2027.

54 MERAS self-propelled mortars ordered will be included in the number of 1872 VBMR Griffon armored vehicles of various modifications, planned for purchase for the French army until 2030. The delivery of the VBMR Griffon Army production vehicles was launched in July 2019. In total, in 2019, the French army was to receive the first 92 vehicles.

Previously, TDA Armaments had already exported 2R2M mortar systems to Saudi Arabia, Italy, Malaysia and Oman, but the French army has not acquired them so far.



https://bmpd.livejournal.com/3917558.html

First contract for armored vehicles Serval for the French army

On January 15, 2021, it was reported that on December 23, 2020, the General Directorate of Armaments (Direction Générale de l'Armement - DGA) of the Ministry of the Armed Forces of France issued a contract to a consortium of French companies Nexter Systems and Texelis for the supply of the French army of the first 364 serial multipurpose armored vehicles Serval with a 4x4 wheel arrangement, also designated VBMR Leger (Véhicule blindé multi-rôles). New French armored vehicle Nexter Serval (VBMR Leger) (c) Nexter



364 Serval vehicles were ordered in three versions - patrol (actually an armored personnel carrier), reconnaissance and communications. The first 108 Serval vehicles under the contract are to be delivered in 2022 - 12 in the first half of the year and 96 in the second half of the year, all of them will be performed in a patrol version.

In total, the French army plans to purchase 489 Serval vehicles by the end of 2025, and 978 Serval vehicles by 2030, and it is planned to create at least two more variants of the vehicle (ambulance and electronic warfare), in the future it is possible to develop several more options (command, engineering, advanced artillery vehicles observers). In the future, it is possible to purchase up to 2,000 Serval units for a complete replacement in the French army of VAB armored personnel carriers (4x4) and parts of VBL light armored vehicles (VAB armored personnel carriers are also subject to replacement with new armored vehicles with 6x6 VBMR Griffon and EBRC Jaguar wheel arrangement). Earlier it was stated that the cost of one Serval machine in serial purchases should be from 500 to 700 thousand euros (excluding the cost of special equipment).

Recall that on February 12, 2018, Nexter Systems (KNDS) received a DGA contract for the development of promising "light" armored vehicles VBMR Leger for the French armed forces. The VBMR Leger vehicle, now called Serval, became the third model of a promising wheeled armored vehicle of the French army under the SCORPION program (Synergie du contact renforcée par la polyvalence et l'infovalorisation) after previously contracted armored vehicles with a 6x6 VBMR Griffon (which will be manufactured by the consortium Nexter, Arquus and Thales).

The contract was awarded to Nexter as a result of a tender in which the main competitors were Renault Truck Defense (RTD, now Arquus, part of the Volvo group, offered a version of its ACMAT Bastion HM in the tender) and the Thales group (offered a version of the famous Australian Bushmaster) ... In fact, the VBMR Leger project from Nexter, chosen by the French Ministry of Armed Forces, is a lightweight two-axle version of the well-known Nexter TITUS armored vehicle with a 6x6 wheel arrangement.

The public presentation of a prototype of the Serval machine was made in September 2018. It is reported that to date, 10 prototypes of the machine have been manufactured, which are being tested since September 2019.

Detailed characteristics of the Serval have not yet been disclosed, but it is reported that the vehicle will have a total combat weight of about 15 tons (according to other sources - up to 17 tons), enhanced mine protection and a capacity in the patrol version of 10 equipped people (including two crew members) equipped with the system FELIN. The vehicle will be equipped with the SCORPION combat network information system (SICS) and a remotely controlled machine gun module with a 12.7 mm machine gun.

Serval vehicles will be manufactured at the head tank building plant Nexter in Rohan, the contractor for the development and production of the vehicle's chassis (suspension and transmission) is Texelis (Limoges).

In the period 2018-2031, the French army also expects to purchase 1,872 VBMR Griffon armored vehicles (to replace the VAB armored personnel carrier fleet) and 300 EBRC Jaguar armored vehicles (to replace the AMX-10RC and ERC-90S cannon armored vehicles). New French armored vehicle Nexter Serval (VBMR Leger) (c) Nexter One of the prototypes of the new French armored vehicle Nexter Serval (VBMR Leger) (c) Nexter




https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4238902.html

The General Directorate of Armaments (Direction Générale de l'Armement - DGA) of the Ministry of the Armed Forces of France, in messages on June 24 and 25, 2021, announced that on June 1, it had issued a contract to the French Nexter group for the repair and serial modernization of the first 50 Leclerc tanks of the French army according to the Leclerc XLR variant. (out of 200 planned).

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4340277.html

The French Armed Forces ordered the first 30 H160M helicopters

December 25th, 9:03
As reported by the Airbus group, on December 22, 2021, the Directorate General of Armaments (Direction générale de l'armement - DGA) of the Ministry of the Armed Forces of France, within the framework of the Helicoptère Interarmées Léger (HIL) program, signed a contract with Airbus Helicopters for R&D, production of prototypes and the supply of the first 30 serial new multipurpose helicopters H160M Guépard, which is a military version of the new commercial helicopter Airbus Helicopters H160.

It is planned to develop military versions of the H160M for all three branches of the French armed forces, the first 30 helicopters ordered include 21 helicopters for the French army aviation, eight for the Navy and one for the Air Force. Deliveries will begin in 2027 with helicopters for the army aviation.

In total, under the HIL program, the French Ministry of Armed Forces plans to purchase 169 H160M Guépard helicopters for all three branches of the French armed forces for a total of about 10 billion euros to replace the current fleet of Gazelle, Fennec, Dauphin, Panther and Alouette III helicopters, as well as parts of Puma helicopters ... Of the 169 N169M helicopters, it is planned to purchase 80 units for the army aviation, 49 for the naval aviation, and 40 for the air force.

In the French army aviation, the N160M helicopters are supposed to be used as multipurpose, reconnaissance, light transport and fire support, in the Navy aviation - as search and rescue, light transport and to combat surface targets, and in the Air Force - as search and rescue and light transport.

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4454782.html

Development of a modernized version of the French 155-mm / 52 self-propelled howitzer CAESAR

On February 19, 2022, the French group Nexter announced that it had received a contract from the Directorate General of Armaments (Direction générale de l'armement - DGA) of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces to develop an upgraded version of the "new generation" CAESAR 155-mm / 52 self-propelled howitzer on a 6x6 wheeled chassis. The new version of the self-propelled howitzer received the designation CAESAR 6X6 Mk II. The R&D and testing contract is for four years, after which the CAESAR 6X6 Mk II should be ready for serial production.

According to a Nexter press release, in 2024, the DGA will have two options: either the purchase and production of 109 new CAESAR 6X6 Mk II self-propelled guns for the French army, or the purchase of 33 new CAESAR 6X6 Mk II self-propelled guns and upgrading to this level 76 CAESAR self-propelled guns located on armament of the French army today. Thus, by 2031, a total of 109 CAESAR 6X6 Mk II will be delivered to the artillery regiments of the French army. The contract also includes initial service support for future CAESAR 6X6 Mk II artillery systems at a fixed price for a period of two years.

It is reported that the new generation CAESAR 6X6 Mk II retains the main configuration of the artillery system on the Arquus Sherpa 5 (6x6) automobile wheeled chassis, which has proven itself in operation (more than 100 thousand rounds in combat units since 2009) and has been successful in the world market. The main improvements in the CAESAR 6X6 Mk II variant should relate to crew protection and mobility. To this end, the upgraded self-propelled guns will be equipped with an armored cab developed by Nexter with improved ballistic and mine protection that meets STANAG 4569 Level 2. Arquus (formerly Renault Trucks Defense) will completely redesign the chassis of the vehicle. The CAESAR 6X6 Mk II will feature a new diesel engine (460 hp, up from 215 hp previously), a new automatic transmission and a new chassis. The CAESAR 6X6 Mk II will also receive the latest fire control system software, and the cockpit will be prepared for the installation of the new Thales CONTACT radio station. On the CAESAR 6x6 Mk II, it is also possible to install the Thales BARAGE radio suppression system for high-explosive explosives.


On the part of bmpd, we recall that from 2004 to 2013 the French army received 77 CAESAR self-propelled howitzers in the basic version on the Sherpa 5 (6x6) wheeled vehicle chassis. In 2015, it was decided to purchase additional 32 CAESAR self-propelled guns for the French army in the future to replace the tracked 155-mm / 39 AUF1 self-propelled howitzers remaining in service by 2030. Initially, the option was considered that additionally purchased CAESAR self-propelled guns would be made on the Tatra T815 (8x8) chassis, but now the DGA has decided to develop an upgraded version of the CAESAR 6x6 Mk II self-propelled guns on a French 6x6 wheeled chassis.

To date, CAESAR self-propelled guns in the standard version on the Arquus Sherpa 5 (6x6) chassis have also been ordered by Indonesia (55 units), Morocco (36) and Thailand (six), on the Mercedes-Benz Unimog U2450 (6x6) chassis - Saudi Arabia (132) and on the Tatra T815 (8x8) chassis - by the Czech Republic (52), Denmark (19) and Belgium (nine), There are unconfirmed reports of contracts from Saudi Arabia for the purchase of another 106 CAESAR self-propelled guns on the Mercedes-Benz Unimog U2450 (6x6) chassis and 97 units on the Tatra T815 (8x8) chassis. In the fall of 2021, it was also reported that Nexter received requests from Saudi Arabia to purchase an additional 147 CAESAR self-propelled guns on the Mercedes-Benz Unimog U2450 (6x6) chassis and 112 units on the Tatra T815 (8x8) chassis - it is not clear whether these are the same undisclosed contracts , or about new orders.

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4488283.html

CAST (Commandement des Actions Spéciales Terre) was created in France

The French Ground Forces Command announced that on January 1, 2024, the Command of Special Operations of the Ground Forces (Commandement des Actions Spéciales Terre - CAST) was created within the French army. It replaced the former Command of Special Operations Forces of the French Ground Forces (Commandement des Forces Spéciales Terre - CFST) and is distinguished by the fact that the new command is now also entrusted with the tasks of training "friendly forces" and interaction with them, psychological operations (in French terminology, "operations influence" - "les opérations d'influence"), and cyber defense. (c) French Land Forces

In fact, the transformation of CFST into CAST was carried out due to the subordination of the latter, in addition to the main structures of CFST, also the previously separate Interspecific Center for Actions Abroad (Centre interarmées des actions sur l'environnement - CIAE, Lyon, deals with military-civil interaction and psychological operations in French deployment zones armed forces abroad) and the Army Center for Military Operational Partnership (Centre terre pour le partenariat militaire opérationnel - CPMO, which trains “friendly forces” abroad and their interaction with the French armed forces “on the ground”). Cyber ​​defense structures will apparently be further deployed in CAST.

Let us recall that a special command structure of special operations forces was created in the French ground forces in 1997 in the form of a Special Separate Command (Groupement spécial autonome - GSA) as part of the "special forces" 1st Parachute Regiment "Marine" (1er RPIMa) and Army Aviation Special Operations Detachment (DAOS). In 2002, the GSA was transformed into a brigade of special operations forces of the ground forces (Brigade des Forces Spéciales Terre - BFST), also subordinate to the 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment.

In 2016, the BFST brigade was reorganized into the Command of Special Operations Forces of the French Ground Forces (Commandement des Forces Spéciales Terre - CFST), which included the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment, 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment, 4th Special Helicopter Regiment assignments, the Special Operations Support Group (GAOS), the Command and Communications Company (CCTFS), and the Special Operations Forces Academy (Ares Center). The CFST was headquartered in Pau in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department of southern France.

Now CFST has been reorganized into the command of special operations of the ground forces (Commandement des Actions Spéciales Terre - CAST). It is reported that in addition to the transfer of CIAE and SRMO to its composition, the command will now also be subordinate to the 6th and 43rd Marine Infantry Battalions (BIMa), stationed in Gabon and Côte d'Ivoire, respectively.

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4794034.html