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	Nexter Arquus Thales
Designed	2010 - 2017
Manufacturer	Nexter 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 Nexter, 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 Nexter 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.