Launched in January 2016 and entrusted to Arquus by the French Army’s General Directorate of Armaments (DGA), Laurent Lagneau recalled in Opex360, the Heavyweight of Special Forces (PLFS, Poids Lourds des Forces Spéciales] program aimed to equip units under the Special Operations Command (COS, Commandement des opérations spéciales] of 202 new vehicles to replace the aging – but still robustly serviceable – VLRA off-road trucks.
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Technamm VOS-APP armed with Nexter's 20mm automatic gun during a dynamic demonstration at Eurosatory 2022 (Picture source: Army Recognition)
The DGA also ordered 45 Special operations vehicles in 6x6 support version (VOS-APP, Véhicule Forces Spéciales - Appui) from the French manufacturer Technamm that designates this model ' Masstech T6 Logistics’. As a reminder, the latter was also asked to deliver to special forces special operation vehicles for patrol duties (VOSPAT).
According to the latest issue of RAIDS magazine, the first two VOS-APPs have recently been delivered to the Army Technical Section [STAT] and the DGA. The latter sent the vehicle it received to its Techniques Aéronautiques (DGA TA) center in Toulouse, in order to verify the air transport capabilities of this new vehicle by the Airbus A400M Atlas and the C -130 Hercules.
Mounted on a Toyota Series 70 6×6 chassis (GVW: 7 to 8 Tonnes) motorized with a 4,161cc, Euro 0/3 turbodiesel engine developing 130 hp (430 Nm), the VOS-APP’s layout was the subject of discussions with the operational staff, in particular with regard to the positioning of the firing positions, RAIDS wrote. A priori, it would have been equipped with a 20 mm cannon supplied by Nexter, as demonstrated last June at Eurosatory 2022. If the technical and operational evaluations are positive, Technamm should then deliver two VOS-APPs per month from December 2022. And the pace will be doubled from spring 2023.
VOS-APP vehicle in the Technamm factory near Marseille, southern France. (Picture source: Technamm)
Technamm VOS-APP armed with Nexter's 20mm automatic gun during a dynamic demonstration at Eurosatory 2022 (Picture source: Army Recognition)
