The Belgian Council of Ministers of October 25, 2018 approved the signing of an intergovernmental agreement with France concerning the establishment of a strategic partnership in the field of land mobility under the CaMo program.
France and Belgium will develop close cooperation between the land forces of both countries. In this context, Belgium is planning the complete retrofitting of its motorized capacity through the acquisition of 382 GRIFFON multi-role armored vehicles (VBMR) and 60 JAGUAR armored reconnaissance and combat vehicle (EBRC), whose industrial mastery of work will be provided by Nexter Group.
Nexter, partner of the Belgian Land component
Nexter, a company of KNDS Group, European leader in land defense, has been chosen to respond to the CaMo program leading to the acquisition by Belgium of 382 VBMR-GRIFFON in different configurations and 60 EBRC-JAGUAR.
These enhanced information vehicles will be identical to those of France, which maximizes cooperation and allows interoperability that can lead to integration between the two Armed Forces.
This acquisition is a strategic step in the cooperation between the Belgian Land component and the French Army, and marks a milestone in the construction of the Europe of defense. Nexter, system integrator architect of land defense and supplier of all combat vehicles of the French Army already equips the Belgian Land component with 105LG1, 105 mm guns.
To respond to the CaMo program, the Group will rely on the know-how of its teams, its mastery of complex systems (LECLERC tank, JAGUAR design authority, VBCI, CAESAR, …), and its central role in SCORPION French Armored Multi-Role vehicle (EBMR) program, alongside its French industrial cooperatives, primarily Arquus and Thales, grouped together in a temporary business venture.
In parallel, Nexter has signed partnership agreements with several Belgian companies. It is in this context that the final assembly of the VBMR-GRIFFON will be done by CMI Defense in Belgium and that the turret of the Belgian vehicle will be produced by FN Herstal.
MECAR, the Belgian Nexter Group subsidiary, will be in charge of producing part of the ammunition. Stéphane Mayer, Chairman and CEO of Nexter "welcomes the cooperation between Belgium and France, and between the two ministries of Defense.
The Belgian Directorate General Material Resources (DGMR) and the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) have set up a joint office to conduct the CaMo acquisition program. I thank the two defense ministries for their trust.
It is a great honor to be at the side of the Belgian Land component, with the supply of its next combat equipment and participating in this important new step in the construction of the Europe of Defense".
