MEPAC also Griffon MEPAC (''Mortier Embarqué Pour l'Appui au Contact'';
English: Embedded mortar for contact support) is a French six-wheel self-propelled
mortar carrier
A mortar carrier, or self-propelled mortar, is a self-propelled artillery piece in which a mortar is the primary weapon. Simpler vehicles carry a standard infantry mortar while in more complex vehicles the mortar is fully integrated into th ...
.
The system is to be integrated on a dedicated variant of the ''Griffon'', designated ''Griffon MEPAC''. An evolution of the ''Thales''
2R2M 120 mm semi-automatic mortar system, it can fire up to ten rounds per minute against targets up to 13 km away with improved accuracy; the vehicle can then set itself in motion while closing the roof hatches at the same time.
Two new developments for the shells are expected; the ''MURAT'' 120 mm reduced-risk ammunition, offering a 12% increase in maximum range with no loss of effectiveness, and a metric-precision ammunition with a 15 km range.
As it can be put into road position as quickly as into battery, it is designed to avoid counter-battery fire more easily, while providing better protection for the crew. The ''Griffon MEPAC'', like the ''Griffon EPC'', is virtually indistinguishable from the ''Griffon VTT Félin'' from the outside. Whereas the latter is designed to carry 10 fully-equipped soldiers, the ''MEPAC'' will accommodate a reduced crew of four artillerymen, namely the pilot, the gun leader and two soldiers operating the MEPAC. The chief will switch from the front of the vehicle during the driving phase, to a position at the rear to command the battery and firing.
Reducing the crew from five as originally intended to four has also freed up considerable space for additional ammunition. The turntable-mounted mortar can be rotated through 360° and has a hydraulic-powered elevation range of 40° to 85°. The ''Griffon MEPAC'' will be equipped with a computerized
fire-control system
A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a hum ...
, automatic laying system and inertial navigation system from ''Thales'' as well as a ''T2 Hornet Lite'' remotely-operated turret armed with a 7.62 mm
machine gun and fitted with the ''GALIX''.
MEPAC will also be integrated into the ''ATLAS'' (''Automatisation des Tirs et Liaisons de l’Artillerie Sol/sol'';
English: Automated firing and ground-to-ground artillery links) artillery system, while retaining the option of firing in degraded mode (tube movement by manual pump, orientation by goniometer, manual loading from roof hatches and firing under manual control).
54 units are to be delivered to the French Army from the fourth quarter of 2023 to 2027, with a prototype scheduled for delivery as soon as 2020, and qualification testing expected to take place between 2022 and 2023.
Operators
Current operators
(54)
:* first ''MEPAC''s from 54 total ordered in 2022 by the French Army. First delivery in January 2025.
Future operators
(24)
:* 24 ''MEPAC'' order
See also
*
CAESAR
Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...
, French self-propelled howitzer (2008–present)
*
AMX-30 AuF1, French self-propelled howitzer (1977–2020s)
*
Mk F3, historical French self-propelled artillery (1960s, 1970s)
*
Mk 61, historical French self-propelled howitzer (1950s, 1960s)
*
Mortier 280 mm TR de Schneider sur affût-chenilles St Chamond, historical French self-propelled siege howitzer (1919–1945)
*
Canon de 194 GPF, historical French self-propelled gun (1920–1942)
*
List of mortar carriers
A mortar carrier, or self-propelled mortar, is a self-propelled artillery piece in which a Mortar (weapon), mortar is the primary weapon.
Summary list
Modern era mortar systems
Mortar carrier 81–82 mm
Mortar carrier 120 mm
Cold ...
References
{{French Army Vehicle
Mortar carriers
KNDS France
Six-wheeled vehicles
Military vehicles introduced in the 2020s
120 mm mortars
120 mm artillery
Gun-mortars