Cyprus is looking to acquire a large number of French-made wheeled armoured vehicles for the National Guard through the European Union’s SAFE mechanism, according to a report by French newspaper La Tribune. The report says Nicosia is considering buying about 80 Griffon vehicles and about 100 Serval vehicles from KNDS France, with some of them potentially fitted with Akeron MP anti-tank missiles made by MBDA.
The same report says Cyprus is also in talks with French company Arquus over the upgrade of about 80 VAB armoured vehicles already in the National Guard’s fleet. It adds that Cyprus has already moved in recent years towards French defence equipment.
The Defence Ministry has two options on its list and both come from the French defence industry. Cyprus has a long tradition of using French-origin armoured equipment, making a move towards the French market unsurprising.
The Griffon is a multi-role armoured personnel carrier developed under France’s Scorpion army modernisation programme by a consortium including KNDS France, Arquus and Thales. KNDS France says it is involved in the production of both the VBMR Griffon and the VBMR Léger Serval under that programme.
The Griffon is designed to transport and support infantry on the battlefield. It has a crew of two to three and can carry up to eight soldiers. It is a 6×6 wheeled vehicle designed for mobility in urban areas and rough terrain, with protection against ballistic threats, mines and improvised explosive devices. It can be equipped with a remotely operated weapons station carrying either a 12.7mm machine gun or a 40mm grenade launcher.
The Griffon is used for troop transport, reconnaissance, command tasks and operational support, with the wider Scorpion programme aimed at network-centric warfare and stronger interoperability between units.
The Serval is described as a lighter multi-role armoured vehicle designed for rapid deployment and high-mobility operations. KNDS France says the Serval is also part of the Scorpion programme.
The Serval has a crew of two and can carry up to six soldiers. It is a 4×4 wheeled vehicle built for rapid deployment and operations in difficult terrain, weighing about 15 to 17 tonnes. It offers protection against small arms fire, mines and improvised explosive devices, and can carry a remotely operated weapons station with a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun or a grenade launcher.
The Serval is intended for missions requiring speed, flexibility and rapid response, including reconnaissance, special operations, urban missions and the fast movement of units. Compared with the Griffon, the Serval is lighter and faster, with lighter armour and greater suitability for agile, rapid operations.
La Tribune says some of the vehicles under discussion could be armed with Akeron MP missiles. MBDA describes the Akeron MP as a lightweight medium-range missile designed for anti-tank, anti-infrastructure and anti-personnel use, with fire-and-forget and man-on-the-loop modes.
