PARIS — Nexter and Renault Trucks Defense (RTD), two France-based military vehicle specialists, will compete in a tender for a light multirole reconnaissance vehicle for the French Army’s Scorpion program, defense analysts and executives said.
Nexter has teamed with a partner to pitch in the competition, said an analyst at the Eurosatory trade show for land armaments.
RTD, a subsidiary of the Swedish Volvo truck company, is also in pursuit of the deal.
Nexter and RTD declined comment.
RTD will likely offer its Sherpa or Bastion vehicles. RTD has in the past sold mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles to Singapore and Qatar.
The company was also awarded two years ago an Acmat a tender for 22 vehicles for Swedish special forces. Thales pitched its Bushmaster.
A deadline came June 6 for companies to file their request for information in the competition.
Thales is offering its Australian Bushmaster in the French tender. If the electronics company wins, a local partner will assemble the vehicle in France.
The French requirement is for 358 four-wheeled, 10-ton vehicles, with first delivery in 2021. These vehicles will equip command, brigade, intelligence and electronic warfare units.
Under the Scorpion modernization program, a light multirole vehicle will be equipped with a standard information and command network, software-defined radio, vehicle electronics, and armed with a remote-controlled 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine gun. The vehicle will replace the Véhicule Blindé Léger scout car.
