EBRC Jaguar
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The Engin Blindé de Reconnaissance et de Combat Jaguar (English: Armoured Reconnaissance and Combat Vehicle Jaguar) or EBRC Jaguar is a six-wheel
armoured fighting vehicle An armoured fighting vehicle (British English) or armored fighting vehicle (American English) (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by vehicle armour, armour, generally combining operational mobility with Offensive (military), offensive a ...
developed and manufactured by
KNDS France KNDS France (formerly known as Nexter, GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Versailles. The company was wholly government-owned ...
, Arquus and
Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; ; ) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic Philosophy, philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. Thales was one of the Seven Sages of Greece, Seven Sages, founding figure ...
. It is intended to succeed three reconnaissance and/or fire support vehicles in French service—the AMX-10 RC, ERC 90 Sagaie and VAB HOT—and entered service in 2022 after twelve years of development. The ''Jaguar'' is a component of the French ''SCORPION'' programme. It is designed for
armoured reconnaissance Armoured reconnaissance also Combat reconnaissance vehicle is the combination of terrestrial reconnaissance with armoured warfare by soldiers using tanks and wheeled or tracked armoured reconnaissance vehicles. While the mission of reconnaissan ...
as well as for combat in complex environments such as urban and
mountainous A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
areas. 238 units are expected to be delivered to the
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
by 2030 and all 300 vehicles planned by 2035. They will equip seven of its
armoured cavalry Armoured cavalry are military units using armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) instead of horses. They began to replace horse cavalry in the heavy shock and the light reconnaissance, skirmishing and exploitation/pursuit roles in most armies com ...
regiments.


Background

The story of the Jaguar began in 2009, when the French army expressed an operational requirement for a future medium cavalry vehicle. This led to the Engin blindé de reconnaissance et de combat (EBRC) program, launched to address four key issues: operational mobility, flexibility of use, protection and aggression. Twenty or so upstream and technical-operational studies on sub-assemblies carried out by the DGA will then make it possible to establish "possible architectures". These very different architectures are the result of choices such as "wheeled or tracked armor", "6×6 or 8×8", "manned or remotely-operated turret" or "armor in one piece or with additional kits"; all this, while maintaining coherence with the other pillars of ''SCORPION'', the programme to renew the army's medium-range armoured capabilities. Dialogue between the
Direction Générale de l'Armement The Direction générale de l'armement (, , abbr. DGA), established in 1961, is the French Government defence procurement and technology agency, responsible within the Ministry of Armed Forces for project management, development, and purchase of ...
(DGA), the army and the manufacturers, a consortium formed by ''Nexter'', ''Arquus'' and ''Thales'', narrowed the choice to four architectures, then two, before arriving at the reference architecture: a 6×6 vehicle with a manned turret combining a main weapon system with a missile and a remotely-operated turret. The ''Jaguar'' was born, an ambitious solution which, with a few exceptions, was not based on any existing components. The development and purchase of this new generation of armoured fighting vehicles, part of a programme styled ''SCORPION'' (Synergie du COntact Renforcée par la Polyvalence et l'InfovalorisatiON; English: Contact Synergy Reinforced by Versatility and Infotainment), was announced in December 2014. It was entrusted by the French Ministry of Defense to a . The long-awaited first stage of the programme was launched in October 2014. This first stage, for a total cost of nearly €5.1 billion (FY2017), includes the replacement of the ''AMX-10 RC'', ''ERC-90 Sagaie'' and ''VAB HOT'' by the EBRC Jaguar, the replacement of the ''VAB'' by the
VBMR Griffon 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''), Ar ...
, the modernization of the Leclerc tank as well as the development of a unified combat information network to ensure the coherence of systems in service. Under this initial €5 billion investment plan up to 2025, 110 armoured reconnaissance and combat vehicles (''EBRC'') and 780 multi-role armoured vehicles (''VBMR'') were to be acquired. The content of the following stages of the programme was to be consolidated at a later date to achieve the target set by the 2014-2019 Military Programming Law (LPM) and updated by the Defence Council's amendments in April 2016: 1,722 heavy ''VBMR Griffon'', 522 lightweight ''VBMR'' (which was to become the
VBMR-L Serval The ''Véhicule Blindé Multi-Rôle Léger Serval'' ( English: Lightweight Multirole Armoured Vehicle Serval) or VBMR-L Serval is also intended as a replacement for the ''Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé'' (VAB), thus complementing the heavy VBMR Gri ...
), 248 ''EBRC Jaguar'' and 200 renovated ''Leclerc XLR''. In the 2019-2025 LPM adopted in July 2018, the ''SCORPION'' programme's targets were revised upwards, with the planned acquisition of 1,872 ''VBMR Griffon'', 978 ''VMBR-L Serval'', 300 ''EBRC Jaguar'', as well as the upgrade of 200
Leclerc tank The Leclerc is a third-generation French main battle tank developed and manufactured by KNDS France. It was named in honour of Marshal Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, a commander of the Free French Forces, who led the 2nd Armoured Division in ...
s and 18 DCL armoured recovery vehicles to the ''XLR'' standard, all to be delivered by 2030. The total cost of the programme was estimated at €11 billion, including €2 billion earmarked for the 300 ''Jaguar''. Two orders for 20 and 42 vehicles were signed in April 2017 and September 2020. Deliveries of the first units were somewhat delayed; the ''Jaguar'' being an "extremely complex technological object" was, in particular, highlighted among the reasons by Colonel Damien Sandeau, a ''SCORPION'' programme officer at the French Army General Staff. Of the first 20 vehicles received by the DGA in December 2021, 18 were delivered to the ''1st African Chasseur Regiment'' (1er RCA) at Canjuers, in charge of training all the regiments to be equipped with the vehicle. This first batch is to be joined by 18 additional vehicles in 2022, enabling the formation of the crews of the army's seven light cavalry regiments to begin. The
1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment The 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment () is the only cavalry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. It is one of two armoured cavalry regiments of the 6th Light Armoured Brigade. The regiment has been stationed at Camp Carpiagne near ...
(''1er REC'') will be the first to be equipped with the ''Jaguar'' in May 2022, then the Régiment d'Infanterie Chars de Marine (''RCIM'') in early 2023, followed in no specific order by the
1st Spahi Regiment The 1st Spahi Regiment () is an armored regiment of the modern French Army, previously called the 1st Moroccan Spahi Regiment (). It was established in 1914 as a mounted cavalry unit recruited primarily from indigenous Moroccan horsemen. The regim ...
, ''4th Chasseur Regiment'' (''4e RCh''), ''3rd Hussar Regiment'' (''3e RH''), ''1st Marine Infantry Regiment'' (''1er RIMa'') and
1st Parachute Hussar Regiment The 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment () is an airborne cavalry unit in the French Army, founded in 1720 by Hungarian noble Ladislas Ignace de Bercheny. It is stationed in Tarbes and is a part of the 11th Parachute Brigade. Creation and differen ...
(''1er RHP''). In October 2018, the Belgian government formalized the plan to purchase 60 ''EBRC Jaguar'' and 382 ''VBMR Griffon'' for €1.5 billion. The vehicles will replace the
Belgian Army The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the Land warfare, land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land ...
's Piranha IIIC armoured personnel carriers and
Dingo 2 The ATF Dingo is a German heavily armored military MRAP infantry mobility vehicle based on a Unimog chassis with a V-hull design, produced by the company KNDS Deutschland (formerly Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW)). The first prototype of the Dingo 1 ...
infantry mobility vehicle An infantry mobility vehicle (IMV) is a four-wheel drive armored personnel carrier (APC) serving as an armed military transport, military patrol, reconnaissance or security vehicle. Those IMVs are distinct from 8-, 6-, and 4-wheeled APCs (su ...
s. The deal includes spare parts and secure communications equipment. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2025.


Design

When the first stage of the programme was launched in 2014, the aim was to achieve an acquisition cost of €3 million per ''EBRC'' and €1 million per ''VBMR''. This was expected to be achieved in part through the large quantities of ''SCORPION'' vehicles to be acquired, enabling economies of scale. The consortium opted for the ''VBMR Griffon'' to share 70% of its components with the ''Jaguar'' to save on development, production and maintenance costs as well as to facilitate logistics. This is reflected by the rather cheap average unit cost of the ''Griffon'' and thereby the ''Serval'', for vehicles with their capabilities. Constituents shared include, for example, the suspension, supplied by
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
-based company ''Quiri'', the Elips intercom system by
Argenteuil Argenteuil () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Argenteuil is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise Departments of France, ...
-based ''Elno'', the PILAR V acoustic gunfire detection and localization system by
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
-based ''Metravib Defence'', as well as the vetronics. Featuring a wide range of state-of-the-art technologies, the ''Jaguar'' ultimately ended up costing twice as much as expected with an estimated unit cost of €6 million (FY2019). As an armoured reconnaissance vehicle, the ''Jaguars main mission is to get as close as possible to the enemy to gather intelligence without being detected. This requires it to be mobile, discreet, agile, well-protected, well-armed and able to see far, day and night. The vehicle has the architecture of a tank, with a driver at the front, turret in the middle, rear-wheel drive, except that it is wheeled, instead of tracked. Whether in powertrain, sensors, vetronics or firepower, the ''Jaguar'' is claimed to condense the latest technological advances. It has been described as being equivalent to going "from 2G to 5G" for the French cavalry crewman. The first differentiating evolution is mobility. The vehicle has a higher power-to-weight ratio and greater maneuverability than previous generations. Featuring a seven-speed automatic gearbox, independent running gears, rear steering and six-wheel drive, the ''Jaguar'' can reach a maximum speed of 90 km/h on roads and tracks, 70 km/h off-road, as well as up to 15 km/h, forwards or backwards, on very steep slopes. Its 500-liter fuel tank has a range of up to 800 km. Equipped with a variable ground clearance, as well as a tire pressure variation system and a run-flat device, it benefits from great crossing capacity on all types of terrain, whether road, rock or mud. The vehicle is surprisingly quiet, despite being equipped with a militarized variant of the
Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
D11 500 hp six-cylinder in-line turbodiesel engine. The engine is housed in a soundproof compartment and is able to run on different types of fuel, facilitating replenishment wherever in the world French forces would be deployed. To approach the "prey" discreetly, manufacturers have worked on the vehicle's signature, and its adjustable suspension allows the pilot to shelter behind a trench, lowering it to let only the surveillance systems protrude, or raising it to engage the enemy. The body height can be adjusted by means of a hydraulic system to four positions: "park", for loading onto wagons or long-term parking, then "road", "intermediate" and "off-road". In off-road, the maximum elevation of 47 cm allows river fording of 1.2 m and overcoming obstacles 50 cm high. The ''Jaguar'' weighs 22 tonnes unladen and 25 tonnes while combat ready. The specifications regarding strategic mobility stipulated that the vehicle must be air-transportable by
A400M The Airbus A400M AtlasNamed after the Greek mythological figure. is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military, now Airbus Defence and Space, as a tactical airlifter with strategic capab ...
. The French army has retained a 300 kg weight reserve, which is essential for future upgrades. The ''Jaguar'' is designed to offer STANAG 4569 Level 4 armour protection as standard, capable of withstanding 14.5 mm armour-piercing ammunition, 155 mm artillery shell splinters, IEDs and mine blasts.French defense industry unveils first prototype of Jaguar 6x6 armored
''Army Recognition''. 16 May 2018.
In addition to the thickness of the armour, the underbody architecture has been designed around hard points that "reflect" the blast effect outwards. Better protected than its predecessors, the Jaguar will be able to stay in the combat zone longer and not necessarily try to avoid it. Armour protection levels can be raised beyond STANAG Level 4 through the installation of a modular armour package. The vehicle integrates an
overpressure Overpressure (or blast overpressure) is the pressure caused by a shock wave over and above normal atmospheric pressure. The shock wave may be caused by sonic boom or by explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amoun ...
protection system in order to keep the crew compartments safe from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (
CBRN Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN defense) or Nuclear, biological, and chemical protection (NBC protection) is a class of protective measures taken in situations where chemical, biological, radiological, or nucl ...
) threats. The interior has
air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...
and
heating In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, atom ...
for comfort, as well as an electrical device for reheating food and heating water for tea or coffee. Space has been optimized: whereas an ''AMX-10 RC'' crew has four men, with a loader to place the shells and a gunner positioned between the commander's legs, the new ''Jaguar'' is crewed by three men, a driver, a gunner and a commander, two of which are in the turret. The commander and gunner access the vehicle via two hatches located on the turret roof above their respective stations. The driver access his compartment at the front of the hull, via an armoured motorized hinged flap, opening to the right, that covers it. Once on board, the space is ample and modular, with adjustable and/or articulated seats and controls. When the 40 mm gun fires, there's little to no recoil inside, thanks to the rotating breech, reducing both risk and noise.


Sensors and situational awareness

The ''Jaguars attributes, which are its greatest strength, are discreet. Behind the armour, some twenty sensors serve as the crew's eyes and ears. The data collected by the optics, cameras and other electronic devices and systems are fed into the ''SCORPION'' bubble via the SICS (''Système d'Information du Combat de SCORPION''; English: SCORPION Combat Information System) developed by Atos-Bull and the CONTACT (''COmmunications Numériques TACtiques et de Théâtre''; English: Tactical and theater digital communications) developed by ''Thales''. The former is a combat cloud (the unified combat information network) and the latter, a
software defined radio Software-defined radio (SDR) is a radio communication system where components that conventionally have been implemented in analog hardware (e.g. mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/demodulators, detectors, etc.) are instead implemented by ...
system; they feature on all ''SCORPION'' vehicles. The ''SICS'' interconnects all the players in a combined arms battle group, while the ''CONTACT'' provides communication capabilities between the vehicles, with simultaneous and real time voice and data transmission. Meanwhile, the ''Thales''-developed TopAxyz inertial measurement unit provides accurate localization and pointing information and autonomous navigation capabilities to the vehicle, including in
GNSS A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geopositioning. A satellite navigation system with global coverage is termed global navigation satellite system (GNSS). , four global systems are op ...
-denied environments. One of the ''Jaguar'' 's added value features is its vetronics, i.e. the architecture of its on-board electronic systems. Also developed by ''Thales'', the architecture is common to all ''SCORPION'' vehicles. It requires compact yet powerful computers and links all navigation, protection, observation and communication systems. It manages and merges all data within the vehicle. The ''SCORPION Common Vetronics'' ensure the processing and exchange of intra- and inter-vehicle data, enabling collaborative combat. In addition, vetronics play a decisive role in vehicle protection, thanks in particular to algorithms that offer the crew several options for dealing with a threat, allowing them to opt for the one they deem the most adequate for the situation. Observation and tracking are provided by
Safran Safran S.A. () is a French Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace, defence industry, defence and computer security, security corporation headquartered in Paris. It designs, develops and manufactures both commercial and military airc ...
's PASEO all-digital optically stabilized panoramic sighting and
fire-control A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a Director (military), director and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs th ...
system, which has, otherwise, only been selected to equip much heavier vehicles than the ''Jaguar'' such as the
M10 Booker The M10 Booker is an American assault gun produced by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) for the United States Army. The M10 was developed from the General Dynamics Griffin, GDLS Griffin II armored fighting vehicle as the winner of its Mobil ...
and especially the ''Leclerc XLR'' and AbramsX
main battle tanks A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...
. This high-performance electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) system is a long-range observation and firing sight. On the ''Jaguar'', it is duplicated for the gunner (''PASEO-T'', located on the left side of the turret and aligned with the 40 mm autocannon) and vehicle commander (''PASEO-C'', fitted on the
remote controlled weapon station A remote controlled weapon station (RCWS), remotely operated weapon system (ROWS), or remote weapon system (RWS), is a remotely operated light or medium-caliber weapon system, often equipped with a fire-control system, that can be installed on a ...
). While the gunner scans the surrounding area with his system, which has the effect of rotating the turret, the commander can independently monitor another axis with his own. This, for example, enables the commander to go off in search of the next targets to neutralize, while the gunner deals with targets already designated. And if the former should spot an aggressive target deemed to be a priority, he can at any moment, at the touch of a button, execute a "rally"; the turret is then automatically and promptly aimed at this target. All that's left to do is to fire. Suited to 30 to 125 mm caliber guns and integrating anti-tank missile guidance, the ''PASEO'' provides detection, identification, targeting and firing capabilities to the ''Jaguar'' and enables the crew to engage both static and moving targets with the vehicle's full range of weapons, day and night. Its observation range is 15.4 km for target detection, 7.6 km for target recognition and 4 km for target identification. It incorporates 6 sensors, including a daylight full HD camera and the SATIS GS multi-purpose cooled thermal imager operating in the 3-5 and 8-12 μm spectra for 360° directional (azimuth) observation and from -30 to +62° in elevation. It also features a laser rangefinder that provides precise distance and target data up to a range exceeding 7 km, increasing the probability of hitting the target on the first shot. Another important capability of this system is the ability to image by sector, providing a high-quality panoramic view and high-contrast background when searching for hidden targets. The ''PASEO'' is also capable of auto-tracking; it can automatically lock onto a given target, whether on land or in the air. The ''Jaguar'' is also equipped with the ANTARES optronics system, developed by ''Thales'', for close situational awareness and which also doubles as a laser warning receiver. Two sets are mounted on the turret (one, front right and the other, rear left) to provide all-round coverage. The system complements the ''PASEO'' and enables a vision of the area to be reconstituted on the crew's screens. The ''ANTARES'' combines precise laser warning and local situational awareness capabilities in a single electro-optical head. The module provides a 360° azimuthal field of view, day and night, and elevation coverage from -15° to +75°, which also makes it possible to spot snipers on rooftops. With a resolution of 5 million pixels, it provides colour video for daytime operations and black-and-white video for night-time operations. In daylight, the system can see an armoured vehicle at a distance of 500 m or a small drone at a distance of 250 m, and detect a human being up to 150 m away. Thanks to its built-in laser warning system, the ''ANTARES'' also issues an alert if the vehicle is targeted by a laser rangefinder or designator. It can locate laser threats to within 1.5 degrees as well as detect the launch of an incoming missile, allowing the crew to react as it sees fit. To these must be added five peripheral cameras integrated on the sides of the chassis and at the rear. Furthermore, the vehicle is equipped with backup optics for the vehicle commander and gunner if they ever were to face issues on the battlefield with their optoelectronic sensors: the gunner has a direct optical channel located on the front arc of the turret (to the left of the tube) and the commander, an all-optic panoramic sight installed at the top of the turret (front centre) which not only act as a backup sight but also enhances his topography perception. Additionally, the vehicle features the ''PILAR V'', a roof-mounted device capable of detecting, identifying and locating shots from small arms, medium-calibre weapons, mortar shells,
shaped charge A shaped charge, commonly also hollow charge if shaped with a cavity, is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, ...
rockets or
RPG RPG may refer to: Military * Rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon **''Ruchnoi Protivotankoviy Granatomyot'' (Russian: ''Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт''), hand-held anti-tank grenade laun ...
s in real time. It provides a 360° coverage and is always active. It can filter outgoing fire to avoid false detections and false reports to the SICS combat information system, and can detect whether single or burst shots are being fired in the vehicle's direction. The ''PILAR V'' is accurate to within 2° in azimuth and 3° in elevation, with a 10% margin for distance estimation. However, if other ''Jaguar'' or ''SCORPION'' vehicles are in the vicinity, their own ''PILAR V'' systems will detect the shot as well and can exchange the data instantly. The vetronics will then triangulate to pinpoint the shooter's position and share the information across all vehicles. The vetronics will also be able to automatically direct the turret towards this position, and propose firing among other options. The threat discrimination and precise target designation capability improves situational awareness, immediate reaction and the effectiveness of retaliatory fire. Inside the vehicle, the commander's station is located on the right side of the turret. He has seven episcopes granting him a 360° view of the outside and two touch screens. The first screen is a multi-function display that enables the overall command of the vehicle. For example, it allows him to manage the sensors and visualize the various types of data they're gathering; lays out vehicle, armament and ammunition status and parameters; and more. It also notably features the menu for the remote-controlled machine gun as well, which the commander is expected to operate if needed. The second screen represents the ''SICS'' and is dedicated to information sharing with other ''SCORPION'' vehicles. Other tools at his disposal inside for his mission include the
ocular lens An eyepiece, or ocular lens, is a type of lens that is attached to a variety of optical devices such as Optical telescope, telescopes and microscopes. It is named because it is usually the lens that is closest to the eye when someone looks thro ...
linked to his backup sight, a general-purpose safety control panel (essentially a set of controls with backlit buttons) and firing authorization rockers to allow the gunner to engage targets. Meanwhile, the gunner, who sits on the left, has two episcopes granting him visibility outside. His station features a weapon safety control panel as well as his multi-function display that enables him to visualize data provided by the sensors such as video images of targets to engage, to select how to engage them (e.g. 5-shot burst, 3-shot burst, single shot...), the ammunition to use, etc. Finally, the ocular lens linked to his backup sight and a control unit (halfway between an airplane stick and a video game console's joystick) are located in front of his seat (at eye level and near his legs respectively). The control unit enables him to swiftly steer the turret (60° per second) and operate the weapons (i.e. the 40 mm autocannon and the missiles). The commander's station is also equipped with one. Both the gunner and commander's helmets are fitted with a microphone and earpieces to reduce ambient noise and facilitate internal communication via the Elips'. The driver, located at the front centre of the hull, is alone in his compartment ahead of the other two crew members but remains in constant contact with them via the radio integrated into his helmet. He pilots the vehicle from his electrically-adjustable seat using a steering wheel placed in the centre of a three-part dashboard with screens; two on the left and one on the right. The latter displays all mobility parameters, while the two touch screens on the left are dedicated to driver's display, providing access to functions such as the rearview camera, navigation, air conditioning, the diagnostics system for mechanical or electronic alerts in case of issues with the vehicle and lighting parameters to remain discreet during night-time maneuvers. Now also granted the ability to observe, his field of view is provided from a closed hatch via panoramic vision blocks (essentially, an armoured motorized hinged flap sheltering him and fitted with three episcopes, which generate visibility through an interplay of mirrors). The central episcope (the biggest) can fuse in the images provided by the optronics system dedicated to the driver. This system, which consists of a thermal sensor and a light intensification one, is integrated on the left of the flap that covers his compartment (and located just below the gunner's optical channel), and notably enables night driving. But the driver nonetheless retains the ability to drive with his head outside if he wishes. Precision and detection distance have thus been vastly improved over the ''AMX-10 RC'', with the proximal cameras, high-quality optics and the addition of the thermal channel, plus the set of episcopes, five of which are
augmented reality Augmented reality (AR), also known as mixed reality (MR), is a technology that overlays real-time 3D computer graphics, 3D-rendered computer graphics onto a portion of the real world through a display, such as a handheld device or head-mounted ...
. The decision-making loop is reduced thanks to the latter. Some of the data collected by the sensors and processed by the combat information system are projected directly onto the episcopes, enabling the crew to stay one step ahead in their understanding of the tactical situation and accelerate the sequencing of an action. By virtue of the ''SICS'' and the information sharing it induces, target designation by a friendly vehicle or air asset, for example, will be displayed on three augmented reality episcopes for the vehicle commander, one for the gunner and one for the driver. Beyond countermeasures such as the aforementioned laser alert detector, missile launch detector and gunfire locator, the ''Jaguar'' also integrates, for example, an infrared jammer as well as an anti-IED jamming sensor despite coming with STANAG 4569 Level 4 armour as standard. The ECLIPSE, a smart software defined jammer developed by ''Thales'', provides electronic protection against IED/RCIED threats. It instantly detects and responds to the triggering of improvised explosive devices by jamming radio remote control signals across a wide range of frequencies without interfering with the radio communication systems used by friendly forces. The ''Jaguar'' is also fitted with the GALIX countermeasure system developed and manufactured by ''Lacroix Defense'', in collaboration with ''Nexter''. The system consists of 14 80 mm smoke grenade dispensers linked to the turret-mounted ''ANTARES'' laser warning system. It operates alongside the missile launch detector, the ''PILAR V'', the ''ECLIPSE'' and the infrared jammer. 4 grenades are mounted at the front of the turret on each side, with 3 embedded into the armour at the rear of the hull at both ends as well. The ''GALIX'' is a self-protection system that makes vehicle protection more reliable through an automatic detection action, which drastically reduces protection engagement time by automating the decision phase. When a shot is detected within a 5 km radius, the sensors transfer threat and angle-of-attack data to the vehicle's fire-control system. In response, the ''GALIX'' will launch multispectral countermeasures in less than a second, capable of disrupting the opposing gunner. Essentially, the grenades deploy a cloud of smoke that mask the vehicle in visible range as well as all laser wavebands (target designators, laser rangefinders, etc) and large infrared bands (0.8-14 microns) covering bands I, III and IV. This non-toxic protective cloud lasts up to 90 seconds and is created from ground level up to a maximum height of 7 metres and to a distance of between 20 and 60 metres from the vehicle. Furthermore, the system is designed not only for self-defense (passive action), but is also capable of neutralizing of hostile personnel (as it can fire a variety of lethal and non-lethal charges). Countermeasures yet to equip the vehicle include an
active protection system An active protection system (APS) is a system designed to actively prevent certain anti-tank weapons from destroying a vehicle. Countermeasures that either conceal the vehicle from or disrupt the guidance of an incoming guided missile threat are ...
; one is being developed by ''Thales'' and ''Nexter'' for integration on ''SCORPION'' vehicles under the PROMETEUS (''PROtection Multi Effets Terrestre Unifiée''; English: Unified terrestrial multi-effect protection) programme, which aims to develop a global armour protection system for ''SCORPION'' vehicles combining three technologies: "versatile passive protection", "reactive protection" and "active protection". The latter, designated Diamant, is a distributed hard-kill active protection system being developed by ''Thales'' comprising four frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar sensors mounted on the corners of the vehicle, a number of effector modules mounted around the perimeter of the vehicle, on its roof and around its hood, and a power supply system for the control unit computer. The system uses the radars to detect and track potential threats such as
anti-tank rocket Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...
s and
anti-tank guided missile An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulde ...
s. Once the threat has been detected, the system instructs the appropriate effector module to launch a countermeasure along the threat's trajectory, in order to destroy or degrade it sufficiently so that it can no longer perforate the vehicle's passive armor. The ''Jaguar'' is also designed to simplify maintenance. The vehicles are fitted with sensors on key components, such as suspension, brake pads and gearboxes, enabling predictive maintenance. The principle is to deploy Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) on these key functions to generate continuous data on vehicle activity. This data is stored and analyzed to determine remaining potential, anticipate breakdowns and program interventions at the right moment. This method, one of several being explored as part of the ''MCO-T 2025'' plan, is intended to help streamline support operations and improve vehicle availability. HUMS sensors can, for example, take the form of a dynamic engine oil quality control system. This control tool will allow oil changes to be carried out when necessary, rather than systematically after a set number of kilometers. The adoption of predictive maintenance, agreed in a rider to the ''SCORPION'' contract, meant developing the software layer needed to coordinate sensors and analyze data. ''SCORPION'' vehicles are the first in the French military designed to be equipped with HUMS sensors; adding this capability is therefore not a complex operation. The maneuver is also closely linked to the SERUM (''Système d'Entretien et de Réparation Unique du Maintenancier''; English: Maintainer's Unique Maintenance and Repair System) cases developed by ''Arquus''. This diagnostic tool takes the form of a computer which can be plugged into the vehicle to perform maintenance operations or identify faults. For the rest, the ''Jaguar'' works as a kit. A total of fifteen different kits are available, including a winch system and additional sensors.


Armament

A combat vehicle first and foremost, the ''Jaguar'' integrates three types of armament; firstly, the two-man stabilized 40CTAS (40 mm Cased Telescoped Armament System) turret developed by CTA International, with its 40 mm autocannon (the ''40CTC'') and ''Ammunition Handling System'' (''AHS''). Innovative and compact thanks to its push-through architecture, this gun does not require a large intrusion into the vehicle body and features a high elevation of 45°, giving the ''Jaguar'' the ability to handle "slow aircraft", as required. While in 2009, the French Army mainly had
helicopters A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...
or targets in high structures in urban terrain in mind, the same logic now applies to
UAV An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Drone ...
s. The ''40CTC'' has a rate of fire of 200 rounds per minute and tilts from -10° to 45°. The turret is fully stabilized in azimuth and elevation thanks to the ''Gun Control Equipment'' (''GCE''), which enables the vehicle to fire on the move. The ''GCE'' includes elevation and azimuth drive motors, encoders, gyroscopes, accelerometers and electronic control units. The gunner has a choice of 180 telescoped shells, 65 of which are ready-to-fire rounds. The French Army has selected four types of ammunition: practice shells (the ''General Purpose Round – Kinetic Energy – Tracer'' or ''GPR-KE-T'', and ''Target Practice – Tracer'' or ''TP-T''), the ''Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot-Tracer'' (''APFSDS-T''), the ''General Purpose Round – Point Detonating – Tracer'' (''GPR-PD-T'') and the ''General Purpose Round – Airburst – Tracer'' (''GPR-AB-T''). The ''APFSDS-T'' shell has an effective firing range of up to 3 km and the other three, up to 2.5 km. The ''TP-T'' and ''GPR-KE-T'' practice shells are already qualified and in service. The ''GPR-PD-T'' shell is expected to be qualified in 2022 and the fourth munition, the ''GPR-AB-T'', in 2023. The ''Jaguars 40 mm gun is thus capable of piercing enemy vehicle armour (the tungsten projectile of the ''APFSDS-T'' is notably able to penetrate more than 140 mm of RHA at 1.5 km), of breaching more than 210 mm of double-reinforced concrete or delivering an air-bursting detonation above a target at a range of 60 m to 2.5 km, forming a volley of projectiles as threatening to entrenched personnel as to airborne vehicles. This programmable high-explosive munition can also operate in point detonating mode. Complementing the 40CTAS system, the
Akeron MP The Akeron MP (''Akeron Moyenne Portée''),MBDA France, provides medium-range
anti-tank Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...
and
surface-to-surface missile A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed installations, or from a ship. They ar ...
capabilities should the ''Jaguar'' engage fixed or moving heavier targets such as latest-generation main battle tanks or heavily protected structures. It can destroy a tank up to 5 km away without being hampered by the landscape. The missile's beyond line-of-sight capability enables it to strike targets behind an obstacle. The missile also grants the ability to change target in flight to deal with an unexpected threat thanks to an integrated aiming recopy. The Akeron MP arming the ''Jaguar'' is, like the ''40CTAS'', guided by the gunner's ''PASEO''. It has three main operating modes:
fire-and-forget Fire-and-forget is a type of missile guidance which does not require further external intervention after launch such as illumination of the target or wire guidance, and can hit its target without the launcher being in line-of-sight of the tar ...
; ''Lock-on before launch'' (''LOBL''), which locks on to a target before firing;
Lock-on after launch Lock-on after launch (LOAL) is the ability of missile systems to lock-on to a target after being launched from a carrier vehicle. The term is normally used in reference to airborne weapons, especially air-to-air missiles, though more modern Air ...
(''LOAL''), which locks on to a target after firing and enables non-line-of-sight (''NLOS'') strikes. Two missiles are ready for firing in the deployable pod on the right-hand side of the turret. A further two rounds are stored in the turret neck, a location less subject to vibration. This marks a return in the French Army to cannon-missile pairing, a configuration not seen since the 1960s and the adoption of the AMX-13 SS.11. The ''Jaguar'' is equipped with the T3 Hornet S remote controlled weapon station, the most sophisticated of the ''Hornet'' family designed and manufactured by ''Arquus''. It is armed with an FN MAG 58 7.62 mm machine gun, still effective at 800 metres, with 550 rounds of ammunition ready to fire. It differs from the ''T1 Hornet'' and ''T2 Hornet Lite'' mounted on the ''Griffon'' and ''Serval'' in its architecture as unlike the other two models, this remotely-operated turret features the ''PASEO'' sight integrated on an independent crown that can be operated by both the vehicle commander and the gunner (although, typically by the former). The ''T3 hornet S'' turret has 360° rotation capability, with elevation from -20° to +60°, and operates on three axes: one for the ''PASEO'', the second for the machine gun and the third for the ''40CT'' 40 mm autocannon. Each ''SCORPION'' vehicle's remote controlled weapon station is a contributor to the intelligence acquisition and sharing chain. As common ''SCORPION'' equipment, they are the "eyes" of collaborative combat. Each remotely-operated turret is integrated into the vehicle's vetronics, which is linked to the other elements of a company team or GTIA (in the French Army, a GTIA is a combined arms battlegroup composed of a little over 1,000 men) via the ''SICS'' combat information system. This facilitates the sharing of tactical information in real time, allowing every section to have a precise idea of the situation of friendly vehicles and enabling ''SCORPION'' Vehicle A (whether a ''Griffon'', ''Serval'', ''Jaguar'' or ''Leclerc XLR'') to engage a target identified by ''SCORPION'' Vehicle B. If, for example, a ''Griffon'' spots an enemy target, it can instantaneously communicate its position to a ''Jaguar'' so that it can move to destroy it with its 40 mm cannon or missiles. To avoid them being potentially disoriented by the swiftness of the turret's movements, the gunner and his leader benefit from a rosette at the top of their multi-function screens, indicating the orientation of each weapon/sight in relation to the chassis; a detail that seems simple but, once again, represents an improvement over the ''AMX-10 RC'', which lacked one.


Operators


Current operators

; (93 delivered, firm order of 150, total planned of 300) : Orders: :* 2017: 20 Jaguar ordered in April :* 2020: 42 Jaguar ordered in September, bringing the total firm orders to 62 :* 2022: 88 Jaguar ordered in May, bringing the total firm orders to 150 : Deliveries: :* 2021: 20 delivered by the end of that year :* 2022: 18 delivered, making a total of 38 delivered to the French Army :* 2023: 22 delivered, making a total of 60 delivered to the French Army :* 2024: 34 planned to be delivered, which would bring the total delivered to the French Army to 93 :* 2025: 42 planned to be delivered, which would bring the total delivered to the French Army to 135 :* 2030: 103 planned to be delivered from 2026 to 2030, which would bring the total delivered to the French Army to 238 :* 2035: 62 planned to be delivered from 2031 to 2035, which would bring the total delivered to the French Army to 300


Future operators

; (60) : 60 units ordered by the
Belgian Army The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the Land warfare, land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land ...
in 2018, after having approved the CaMo programme in 2017. The first deliveries are planned for 2025 and to last until 2030. ; (150) : 150 more are approved for order. : Of these 150, 50 are planned to be delivered by 2030, and 100 by 2035. ; (38) : The intent to procure the ''SCORPION'' vehicles, including 38 ''EBRC Jaguar'', was announced in May 2024. : The Luxembourg parliament approved the purchase in November 2024. Planned for delivery from 2028.


In popular culture

The EBRC Jaguar is featured in the 2021
first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
Battlefield 2042, where it is referred to as the ''EBAA Wildcat''. In the game, it is operated by both the American and Russian factions.


References


External links

* Metravib Defence {{DEFAULTSORT:Engin Blindé de Reconnaissance et de Combat Wheeled reconnaissance vehicles Fire support vehicles KNDS France Six-wheeled vehicles Military vehicles introduced in the 2020s