On 27th July the French DGA announced receipt of the last batch of 10 VT4 Standard 2 tactical vehicles of the 4,380 originally ordered.
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With this milestone achieved as scheduled, even though a pandemic affected production for a period, and as the VT4 is now an increasingly common sight on exercises and operational deployments, this seemed the logical time to update readers with an album of mostly recent images. For those unfamiliar with the vehicle, also known as TRAPPER, it is a militarised version of the Ford Everest supplied through the Arquus plant in Saint-Nazaire which was formerly ACMAT before the 2018 rebranding of companies in the Renault Trucks Defense division.
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DGA Press Release, 27 July 2023: [auto-translated] The General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) received the last batch of 10 standard 2 VT4 tactical vehicles on July 26, 2023.
This reception closes a delivery schedule carried out in perfect agreement with the LPM 2019-2025, thanks to the investment of state and industrial players. 4,380 VT4 vehicles were delivered to the three armed [Navy, Army and Air & Space Force], the Operational Energy Service, the Joint Munitions Service and the National Guard.
A light and versatile, unarmoured command and liaison vehicle, designed to carry five soldiers or four combatants equipped with the Félin system, the VT4 ensures the rapid movement of soldiers on all types of terrain, on national territory – in particular for urgent interventions as part of Operation SENTINEL security missions – and in stable external operations theatres.
The Standard 2 offers many new functionalities in addition to those of the Standard 1, which allow it in particular to integrate information and communication systems. It is also designed to be air transportable, in order to give it an additional dimension of tactical mobility.
Arquus has produced the VT4 since 2018 in its Saint-Nazaire factory, via the militarisation of a commercial range 4×4. The adaptations made consist, in particular, in reinforcing the all-terrain capability of the vehicle, in pre-equipping it for the integration of radio sets and an operational information system, as well as in equipping it with weapon mounts and removable window protection.
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[images © Bob Morrison]
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Further reading:-
- First VT4 Vehicles Now In French Service
- ARQUUS VT4 Standard 2 Production Lines Launched
- Arquus VT4 Unarmoured Command and Liaison Vehicle
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