Belgium - The Army - Modernization
Composante Terre / Landcomponent
The land component had invested heavily, and continues to invest in the renewal of its fleet of vehicles. The Mechanized Brigade [formerly the Medium Brigade] used the armored wheeled IYV (Armoured Infantry Vehicle) while the Special Operations Regiment [formerly the Light Brigade] used VPDS (Multi Purpose Protected Vehicle). Units of recognition rely on the Pandur and the all terrain vehicle LMV (Light Multi Role Vehicle), an armored jeep used by the different units.
Part of the LTTV (Light Troop Transport Vehicle), that are planned for the SOF capability (Special Forces Group and Ranger battalions), will first be used by the motorised units. During the period 2025-2030, all motorised manoeuvre battalions and their Combat Support and Combat Service Support units will be equipped on the basis of a common international motorised platform in various types. In this way, the LTTV can be transferred to the SOF capability.
The lighter version of this common international motorised platform will replace the current MPPV (Dingo 2) vehicles in their Command Post/Rifleman/Scout versions and the current AIV (Piranha)76 vehicles in their Command Post/Rifleman versions. The median version of this common international motorised platform will replace the current MPPV with heavy (.50) machine gun and the current Direct Fire 30mm and Direct Fire 90mm AIV.
Throughout the duration of the 2030 strategic vision, all basic vehicles of the motorised brigade will consequently be replaced for both the manoeuvre battalions and the Combat Support and Combat Service Support units that guarantee the combined arms nature of the motorised capability.
Therefore, the lighter version of the common international motorised platform will also be bought in an engineering, Forward Air Controller (FAC)77 and Recovery version, as is already the case with specific MPPV and AIV versions. In addition to this, all Lynx Light Multirole Vehicles (LMV) that are indispensable to command and liaison will be replaced.
Within the time frame planned for the acquisition of a replacement capability for the MPPV (Dingo) and the AIV (Piranha), from 2025 up to and including 2030, already one program seemed to qualify at the moment, i.e. the French Scorpion programme. This program would allow for the replacement of the basic vehicles of the combined arms motorised capability by different types of a common international platform, i.e. a lighter version suitable for troop transport and adaptable to manoeuvre, combat support, and combat service support units, and a median version suitable for reconnaissance and combat missions of manoeuvre battalions.
The government clearly expressed the will to reinvest in the security of the country, the population and the military. The army had to get back the material it needs to be able to go into operation. Minister of Defense, Steven Vandeput, therefore approved a military programming law by the parliament that provides for investments in modern and efficient defense equipment, announced 28 October 2018.
The Council of Ministers also approved the proposal of the Minister of Defense, Steven Vandeput, to award the purchase of new combat vehicles for the Belgian land forces to France. These vehicles were developed in the French Scorpion program and they replace the current Piranha and Dingo fighting vehicles.
A total of 60 median combat vehicles of the type "Jaguar" and 382 light combat vehicles of the "Griffon" type are purchased, including means of communication and spare parts. This purchase, in line with the principles of the strategic vision, is accompanied by a revolution in defense cooperation for our Land Component. A partnership with France is set up on the basis of identical French and Belgian combat vehicles. The aim of this partnership is that Belgium and France will have a joint organization and that training, training and logistical support will be jointly organized.
The commissioning of the vehicles is planned for the period 2025-2030, but the intention is to start already in the short term with the development of the close partnership with France.
The Belgian Council of Ministers of October 25, 2018 approved the signing of an intergovernmental agreement with France concerning the establishment of a strategic partnership in the field of land mobility under the CaMo program. France and Belgium will develop close cooperation between the land forces of both countries. In this context, Belgium is planning the complete retrofitting of its motorized capacity through the acquisition of 382 GRIFFON multi-role armored vehicles (VBMR) and 60 JAGUAR armored reconnaissance and combat vehicle (EBRC), whose industrial mastery of work will be provided by Nexter Group.
Nexter, a company of KNDS Group, European leader in land defense, has been chosen to respond to the CaMo program leading to the acquisition by Belgium of 382 VBMR-GRIFFON in different configurations and 60 EBRC-JAGUAR. These enhanced information vehicles will be identical to those of France, which maximizes cooperation and allows interoperability that can lead to integration between the two Armed Forces. This acquisition is a strategic step in the cooperation between the Belgian Landcomponent and the French Army, and marks a milestone in the construction of the Europe of defense.
Nexter, system integrator architect of land defense and supplier of all combat vehicles of the French Army already equips the Belgian Landcomponent with 105LG1, 105mm guns. To respond to the CaMo program, the Group will rely on the know-how of its teams, its mastery of complex systems (LECLERC tank, JAGUAR design authority, VBCI, CAESAR, ...), and its central role in SCORPION French Armored Multi-Role vehicle (EBMR) program, alongside its French industrial cooperatives, primarily Arquus and Thales, grouped together in a temporary business venture. In parallel, Nexter has signed partnership agreements with several Belgian companies. It is in this context that the final assembly of the VBMR-GRIFFON will be done by CMI Defense in Belgium and that the turret of the Belgian vehicle will be produced by FN Herstal. MECAR, the Belgian Nexter Group subsidiary, will be in charge of producing part of the ammunition.
The current artillery will evolve towards one long-range indirect precision fire support battery, equipped with air transportable wheeled vehicles, a shorter range indirect fire support battery based on the current 105mm artillery pieces, supplemented with one battery of sensors consisting of radar operators, forward observers and the necessary liaison elements with the supported units. All artillery pieces will be equipped with precision ammunition. After the arrival of the new long-range artillery pieces, the 120mm mortars that are currently operated by the artillery will be reintegrated into the manoeuvre battalions.
The Belgian army will acquire nineteen Caesar artillery systems, in addition to the nine examples already ordered from France, the office of Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder said on June 2022, confirming information published by the newspaper L' Echo. Ludivine Dedonder signed in May 2022, with her French counterpart at the time, Florence Parly, an intergovernmental agreement on military motorized capacity, known as " CaMo 2 ", providing for the purchase of nine " computer-valued Caesar NG systems " (CAmion Equipped with a New Generation Artillery System), for delivery scheduled from 2027. Enough to equip a battery of the artillery battalion, a unit mainly based in Brasschaat (north of Antwerp), with a location in Lombardsijde (West Flanders). But most experts had argued that this figure was too modest to restore real capabilities to the Earth Component.
Recently approved, the STAR plan (for "Security & Service, Technology, Ambition, Resilience") for Defense provides for a reinforcement of resources dedicated to artillery to the tune of 492 million , but does not specify the number of new systems to be acquired. It is the updating of the military programming law (LPM) which includes more than 10 billion euros of investments, which has made it possible to see things a little more clearly.
The US State Department made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria of Stryker Vehicles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1.5 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale September 1, 2023.
The Government of the Republic of Bulgaria has requested to buy one hundred eighty-three (183) Stryker Family of Vehicles. The proposed sale would consist of: ninety (90) XM1296 Infantry Carrier Vehicles - Dragoon (ICVD); seventeen (17) M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICV); nine (9) M1132 Engineer Squad Vehicles (ESV); thirty-three (33) M1130 Command Vehicles (CV); twenty-four (24) M1133 Medical Evacuation Vehicles (MEV); ten (10) M1135 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicles (NBCRV); five (5) Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) Light Equipment Transports (LET); five (5) Modular Catastrophic Recovery Systems (MCRS); two (2) M1120A4 HEMTT Load Handling Systems; five (5) M984A4 Wrecker HEMTTs; and one hundred seven (107) M240 Coaxial 7.62mm machine guns.
Also included is support service equipment; M-153A4 Common Remote Operated Weapons Stations (CROWS); Forward Repair Systems (FRS); M2A1 .50 caliber machine guns; M6 smoke grenade launchers and associated spares; Harris radios; AN/VAS-5 Driver's Vision Enhancer (DVE); DVE-Wide; communications equipment; RS6 (LW30) Remote Weapon Systems; TACFLIR 280 HDEP systems; Ranger R20SS Radar; ROVER6Si transceivers; spare parts; Basic Issue Items (BII), Components of End Items (COEI), Additional Authorized List (AAL); Special Tools and Test Equipment (STTE); technical manuals; OCONUS Deprocessing Service; OCONUS contractor provided training and Field Service Representatives (FSR); component assembly in-country; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe. The proposed sale will improve Bulgaria's rapid infantry deployment and force projection capability. Bulgaria will use this enhanced capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats. Bulgaria will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and services into its armed forces. The principal contractor will be General Dynamics Land Systems, Anniston, AL. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
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