The consortium between Arquus and Nexter, a company of KNDS; and the Organisation for Joint Armaments Cooperation (OCCAR) have signed the pre-design contract for the VBAE (Véhicule Blindé d’Aide à l’Engagement).

OCCAR, the European intergovernmental procurement agency responsible for cooperative defense contracts management, has been entrusted with setting up and managing the program. This signing marks the first step towards converging of the operational requirements and architecture of this future armored vehicle, whose development and production are expected within the French and Belgian armies as of 2030.

The VBAE is the result of a close collaboration between industry, OCCAR and the customer nations in order to replace, for France, the VBL (Light Armoured Vehicle) which is in service within the French forces since the late 1980s. For Belgium, the VBAE represents an additional step in the development of its motorized capacity by reinforcing its reconnaissance and command and control capabilities. The VBAE will be a versatile system suitable for many types of missions. A strong emphasis will be place on essential performances of mobility, stealth, protection, and fire function. It will combine compactness and optimized payload capacity.