VBMR Griffon

VBMR Griffon
A standard unarmed VBMR Griffon after the 2021 Bastille Day Parade (14 July 2021)
Type	Multirole armoured personnel carrier
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	2019 - present
Used by	France Belgium
Production history
Designer	KNDS France Arquus Thales
Designed	2010 - 2017
Manufacturer	KNDS France Arquus Thales
Unit cost	Griffon VTT (standard): €1.5 million (FY2017)[1]
Produced	2018 - present
No. built	575 units as of 31 December 2023[2]
Variants	Armoured personnel carrier, command post, artillery observation, self-propelled mortar, medical evacuation, and associated subvariants
Specifications
Mass	25 tonnes
Length	7.6 m (24 ft 11 in)
Width	2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Height	3.7 m (12 ft 2 in)
Crew	2 (driver + gunner)
Passengers	8
Armour	STANAG 4569 Level 4 (standard) Additional modular armour kits (optional)
Main armament	T1 Hornet RWS with a 12.7 mm or 7.62 mm machine gun, or 40 mm automatic grenade launcher (standard variant) Akeron MP missiles, MEPAC mortar system, LLR 81mm mortar, etc (depending on the version)
Secondary armament	GALIX self-protection system with 8 80 mm smoke grenade dischargers (all versions) T2 Hornet Lite RWS with a 7.62 mm machine gun (version-specific)
Engine	Militarized Renault Trucks 6-cylinder turbodiesel engine 400 hp (300 kW)
Transmission	ZF seven-speed automatic gearbox
Suspension	Six-wheel drive
Operational range	800 km (500 mi)
Maximum speed	90 km/h (56 mph)

The Véhicule Blindé Multi-Rôle Griffon ( English: Multirole Armoured Vehicle Griffon) or VBMR Griffon is a French six-wheel multi-purpose armoured personnel carrier developed and manufactured by KNDS France (formerly Nexter Systems), Arquus (formerly Renault Trucks Defense) and Thales. The vehicle entered service in 2019 and is, alongside the four-wheel VBMR-L Serval co-developed by KNDS France and Texelis, the successor of the Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé (VAB).

Components of the French SCORPION programme, the two vehicles are expected to fulfill a wide range of tasks and thus consist of several variants and subvariants. An on-board 120 mm mortar system based on the Griffon, designated Griffon MEPAC, has notably been developed. Furthermore, two distinct Serval-based air defence platforms are under development as of 2023; the Serval LAD, intended as a dedicated counter-UAV vehicle, and the Serval Mistral (or Serval TCP) for general V/SHORAD applications.

In total, 1,818 VBMR Griffon, 2,038 VBMR-L Serval, 54 Griffon MEPAC as well as at least 85 Serval LAD and Serval Mistral/TCP are to be delivered to the French Army by 2035.