French manufacturer Arquus is a long-term partner for the Greek Army, having supplied 240 VBLs to Greece, the largest fleet of VBLs in the world outside of France. The company showcases, among others, its workhorse for tactical missions, the VLRA tactical truck that will be proposed to replace the aging Steyr trucks of the Greek Army.
Arquus VLRA (Picture source: Army Recognition)
At DEFEA 2021, Arquus is exhibiting its VLRA (Véhicule Léger de Reconnaissance et d’Appui – Reconnaissance and Support Light Vehicle), a robust, versatile, modular 4×4 vehicle, designed for high mobility and transport in the harshest conditions with minimal maintenance needs. The VLRA is a 12-ton vehicle (17 tons in 6x6 version) that can carry up to 5-ton payloads or combat teams of up to 30 soldiers, on top of 3 crewmen. More than 1,000 VLRA have already been produced, including the Bastion, Arquus’ monocoque APC, which is also based on the VLRA’s versatile chassis. The VLRA is a proud heir to the first-generation VLRA, which was a global success with more than 12,000 units produced for several units throughout the world, starting with the French Special Forces, the British SAS and the Irish Army Ranger Wing, but also countries of the Mediterranean such as Cyprus.
To compete in the forthcoming tender aiming at replacing the old Steyr trucks of the Greek army, Aruquus is building a partnership with Sarakakis Group of Companies, a Greek partner, which means a significant part of the VLRAs would be produced in Greece.
Arquus VLRA (Picture source: Army Recognition)
Arquus is also proposing to upgrade the 240 Greek VBLs to the Ultima standard to benefit from this ongoing process currently implemented by Arquus for the French VBLs, which means avoiding the usual high cost of launching a new manufacturing process. The upgrade package includes a new, more powerful engine, reinforced suspensions for increased payload and road handling, as well as air conditioning.
Greek Army VBL in 2008 (Picture source: Wikimedia)
Arquus is also proposing its new non-armored, 4×4, Trapper light liaison vehicle (based on the Ford Everest), selected by the French Defense Ministry to replace the old Peugeot P4, under the VT4 denomination, to equip the French armed forces. A total of 4,380 vehicles will be delivered to France, 2,500 of which have already been produced. The Greek army needs to replace its aging 4x4 tactical vehicles and the VT4 can be a serious contender.
