After production began for the VT4 4×4 light tactical vehicle (LTV) for the French Army at Arquus’s facility in Saint Nazaire, the French Direction generale de l’armement (DGA) is expected to issue a request for proposals (RFP) later in 2019 for a new fleet of tactical military vehicles (TMVs) at the higher end of the load carrying spectrum, as well as more specialised models.
According to French industry sources, up to 7,700 trucks are expected to be procured in three basic configurations to potentially replace some currently deployed vehicles. DGA issued a request for information (RFI) in 2018 for the procurement.
According to a DGA briefing, the plan is to have several contractors supply trucks for trials purposes, which would lead to a final downselect to one contractor for each TMV for production. However, at present there is no detailed timeline, and the acquisition could be subject to budget considerations.
The French Army future truck requirement is for about 7,000 cargo trucks and some specialised versions, 400 fuel tankers, and 250 heavy equipment transporters (HETs).
The latter would consist of a tractor truck and semi-trailer that would be required to carry the heaviest armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) currently deployed by the French Army, which is the Nexter Systems Leclerc main battle tank (MBT), or two wheeled AFVs.
The truck requirement is expected to include a platform with a payload of two to four tonnes, which would be met by a 4×4 vehicle, and another with a payload of 4 to 8 tonnes, which would likely be met by a 6×6 platform. A proportion of the new fleet is expected to be fitted with an armour-protected cab.
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