The Jaguar armoured vehicle has a weight of 25t. Image courtesy of Moverlack83.
The Jaguar reconnaissance and combat armoured vehicle is manned by three crew members. Image courtesy of Nexter Group.
The French Army’s ageing ERC Sagaie 6x6 armoured vehicles will be replaced with the new Jaguar EBRCs. Image courtesy of Pierre Delattre.

The Jaguar 6×6 armoured reconnaissance and combat vehicle (EBRC) is being developed by a consortium of Nexter Systems, Thales, and Renault Trucks Defense, primarily for the French Army.

A total of 248 Jaguar EBRC units are planned for acquisition by the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) through its Scorpion multi-role armoured vehicle programme, which will aid the French Army in meeting its mission requirements on the modern battlefield.

The new-generation vehicles are intended to replace the French Army’s ageing fleet of AMX10RC 6×6 light reconnaissance vehicles and ERC Sagaie 6×6 armoured vehicles, as well as the VAB (véhicule de l’avant blindé) HOT armoured fighting vehicles.

The Jaguar vehicle offers high protection, increased mobility, and enhanced firepower for land-based forces.

Jaguar EBRC orders and deliveries

French companies Nexter Systems, Thales, and Renault Trucks Defense established a consortium in January 2014 for the collaborative development of two types of armoured vehicle solutions for the Scorpion programme, which covers the Jaguar EBRC and Griffon multi-role armoured vehicle (VBMR).

The French DGA awarded a contract to the three-member consortium in December 2014 to design, develop and manufacture the Jaguar vehicle. The deal also covers armament and logistics support for the vehicles during the qualification and manufacturing phases.

France’s DGA awarded a contract to the consortium to manufacture and deliver 20 Jaguar armoured vehicles in April 2017.

The vehicles are currently expected to be delivered to the French Army by 2020.

Jaguar EBRC design details

The Jaguar armoured reconnaissance and combat vehicle is based on all-terrain six-wheeled chassis.

It features a gross weight of 25t and can carry a crew of up to three members.

The crew stations are placed in a fully enclosed armoured crew compartment, which is equipped with air-conditioning and internal overpressure systems.

Weaponry of Jaguar armoured vehicle

ACTA International 40mm Cased Telescoped Armament System (CTAS) is the main armament of the Jaguar EBRC.

The 40mm cannon unit is mounted on a remote-control weapon system, and is able to defeat light armoured, urban, and soft targets at a rate of fire of 200 rounds a minute.

The vehicle is also armed with MBDA’s man-portable medium-range missile (Missile Moyenne Portée), which is effective against both static and moving targets.

It offers superior fire power against a variety of targets, including infantry vehicles and heavily armoured vehicles.

A 7.62mm machine gun can be fitted to further increase the vehicle’s firepower capabilities.

Jaguar vehicle protection features

The French Army’s new-generation armoured fighting vehicle is designed to offer high levels of NATO STANAG-standard protection against small arms fire, projectiles, bullets and weapons.

It also incorporates nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) and mine protection kits for defence against improvised explosive devices (IED) and mine blasts.

Self-protection for the vehicle’s crew is provided by four smoke-grenade launchers, which are located on either side of the turret.

Observation and fire control

The driver’s field of view is provided from a closed hatch via panoramic vision blocks.

Safran was selected to develop an optronics solution for the Jaguar EBRC based on the Paseo sighting system.

The optronics system allows for detection, identification and tracking of land-based targets both during the day and at night.

Command and control for the Jaguar armoured vehicle is provided by the onboard Scorpion forward information system (SICS), which has been equipped with a Bull battle management capability.

The system enables the transmission and sharing of information through a Thales Contact software-defined radio device.

Navigation and communications onboard Jaguar armoured vehicle

Thales is responsible to develop and supply navigation and communication for the Jaguar armoured vehicle, with integrated systems such as vetronics, an intercom unit and self-protection suite, as well as perimeter vision and navigation systems.

The vetronics system allows for internal data transfer and video management and provides support for the SICS and contact radio device.

“The French Army’s new-generation armoured fighting vehicle is designed to offer high levels of NATO STANAG-standard protection against small arms fire, projectiles, bullets and weapons.”

The Jaguar EBRC comes with a number of countermeasures, including laser warning system, missile detection system, barrage jamming, and acoustic sniper localisation system.

Engine and mobility

The Jaguar reconnaissance and combat vehicle is powered by a single diesel engine located in the front portion, delivering increased mobility across all terrain conditions.

The Global Armoured Vehicles and Counter-IED Vehicles Market 2011-2021

This project forms part of our recent analysis and forecasts of the global armoured vehicles and counter-IED vehicles market available from our business information platform Strategic Defence Intelligence.

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