“Thales, Nexter, and Arquus Unveil Ambitious Plans for 128 GRIFFONs by 2020”
On December 18, 2020, Nexter, Thales, and Arquus, as part of the temporary corporate consortium (GME) EBMR (Multi-Role Armored Systems), unveiled the 128th GRIFFON slated for 2020 to the French Delegation for Armaments (DGA). As part of the SCORPION initiative, and in spite of an unparalleled health crisis that significantly impacted manufacturing, the trio of manufacturers successfully embraced the challenge and achieved their contractual goals.
Upon completing this phase, the final GRIFFONs will undergo verification procedures executed by the DGA’s quality assurance division. The vehicles will subsequently be shipped to the Canjuers facility where the Army will commence the acceptance process; it is at this juncture that the DGA will officially receive them. To date, 90 GRIFFON vehicles have traversed this pathway, joining the 92 GRIFFON units delivered in 2019. Starting January 2021, the last vehicles that departed the production line in December will join the regiments, rapidly compensating for delays caused by the health crisis.
Since March 2020, Covid-19 has indeed substantially disrupted the industrial organization of this program. The Roanne site, where the GRIFFON and JAGUAR assembly occurs, was compelled to halt operations from March 20 to 30 to facilitate the setup of a structure allowing the resumption of activities under maximum safety measures. Since then, two teams have been collaborating on the assembly lines in eight-hour shifts (2×8) to ensure that operations remain efficient throughout these extended 16-hour workdays. In close contact with their governmental partners and after consulting with suppliers, the members of the GME swiftly revised the original timeline: the 2020 targets for GRIFFON were upheld, the first deliveries of JAGUAR were delayed until April 2021, all while maintaining the volume of deliveries by the end of 2021.
The year of 2020 was characterized by the achievement of several significant milestones for the GME. In September, the DGA announced the third conditional tranche of the EBMR contract, which allowed the second batch of vehicles (271 GRIFFON and 42 JAGUAR by 2023) to commence production. In November, the command post version of the GRIFFON (EPC) received qualification. Thus, among the 128 GRIFFONs from 2020, 35 units of this innovative variant were presented to the administration, presenting an additional challenge that EPC teams successfully navigated. Lastly, the next-generation T1 remotely operated turret that will arm the GRIFFONs was also qualified by the DGA.
Nexter, Arquus, and Thales wish to express their gratitude for the exceptional dedication of their teams. Their commitment and ingenuity have enabled them to fulfill the expectations of the French Army and its personnel to the best of their capabilities, while significantly mitigating the repercussions of the health crisis.
