(Jaguar prototype mock-up image). The beginnings for a new armoured reconnaissance and combat vehicle (EBRC) began in 2009 when the French Army outlined the requirements for a “future medium cavalry vehicle”. The new vehicle had to meet 4 main requirements: flexibility of use, operational mobility, high combat capacity and protection. Initially, up to 20 different options were studied, determined by the type of undercarriage, type of traction, type of turret, type of armor…etc. Finally, the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), the manufacturers and the Army reduced the options to 4, and later to just 2 before coming to the conclusion that the new vehicle had to be a wheeled armored vehicle with a 6×6 layout, with gun and missile armament installed in a manned turret, a high degree of automation and an advanced combat system.(Jaguar prototype image). The EBRC Jaguar is a vehicle designed and built by the French consortium GME (Groupement Momentané d’Entreprises) formed by the French companies Nexter (now part of KNDS), Renault Trucks Defense (RTD) (now Arquus), and Thales. This consortium was tasked in December 2014 with developing a new reconnaissance vehicle to replace all the AMX-10RC and ERC-90 Sagaie tank destroyers/reconnaissance vehicles and all the VAB HOT (VAB Mephisto) anti-tank missile carriers within a new program called “Engin Blindé Multi-Roles (EBMR) Scorpion” (Armoured Multi-roles Vehicles Scorpion). This programme provides for the modernisation of 200 Leclerc MBTs and 18 Leclerc DCL ARVs and the acquisition of 1,872 VBMR Griffons, 54 Griffon MEPACs, 300 EBRC Jaguars and 2,038 VMBR-L Servals before 2035 for an estimated value of €11 billion.(Jaguar prototype image). Two vehicles that met the required requirements were submitted to the SCORPION (Contact Synergy Reinforced by Versatility and Infotainment) competition: the Panhard Sphinx and the GME Jaguar. The Sphinx was introduced in 2010, while the Jaguar was introduced in 2016. After the relevant tests, the French Army opted for the GME Jaguar and in April 2017 the French Ministry of Defence ordered the mass production of new generation vehicles, including 20 EBRC Jaguars. In April 2016, the Military Programming Law (LPM) for the period 2014-2019 stipulated the acquisition of 248 EBRC Jaguars, but in July 2018, the Military Programming Law (LPM) for the period 2019-2025 raised the number to 300 EBRC Jaguars.(Jaguar prototype image). From the outset, the price of the vehicles included in the SCORPION programme was intended to be low, and the decision was made to share components between the Griffon/Serval VBMR (Véhicule Blindé Multi-Role) (wheeled multi-purpose vehicle) and the EBRC Jaguar. This reached 70%, including the “Elips” intercom system, the suspension, the “PILAR V” acoustic gunfire detection and localization system and various electronic systems, known as “vetronics”. In 2014, the price of a VBMR was expected to be 1 million euros and that of an EBRC 3 million, but despite these efforts, the cutting-edge technology used in the EBRC Jaguar caused its price to skyrocket to 6 million euros in 2019.The EBRC Jaguar has a classic internal layout with the driver compartment in the front of the hull, the combat compartment (turret) in the middle and the engine compartment aft. It carries three crew members, driver, commander and the gunner. The driver is located in the front of the hull in the centre, and the commander and gunner are inside the turret. The driver is separated from the other two crew members and they communicate by an Elips intercom radio system integrated into the helmet. Each crew member has his own access hatch, the driver’s being armoured and motorised, while the commander’s and gunner’s are situated on the roof of the turret and are manually operated.The driver has 3 screens that show the driving parameters and inform him of the status of the mechanics, mechanical and electronic alerts, navigation data, air conditioning, rearview camera and lighting parameters for night operations. He can observe what is happening outside through 3 periscopes integrated in the hatch. The central one is of augmented reality and shows the images captured by the optronic sensor (located to the left of the hatch), and has a light intensification system and a thermal sensor for night driving.The gunner (on the image) is located inside the turret, on the left, and has two periscopes, one of them of augmented reality, a weapon safety control panel and a multifunction screen that shows all the data obtained by the sensors and video images of the targets to be attacked. From this screen the type of ammunition and the rate of fire of the gun are selected. In addition, it also has an eyepiece lens attached to a sight and a control unit that allows the turret to be rotated and the 40mm gun and missiles to be fired.(Turret interior image). The commander is located inside the turret, on the right, and has 7 periscopes, two of them of augmented reality, that allow a 360º observation. He has two screens, one shows the data from the SICS combat information system that can be shared with other vehicles assigned to the SCORPION system. The other multifunction screen shows all the data obtained by the sensors, data on ammunition and weapons, general status of the vehicle, and allows him to operate the remote-controlled machine gun if necessary. He also has a safety control panel, a firing authorization system for the gunner, an eyepiece, or ocular lens, that shows what the sight captures and a control unit to operate the weapons.Mobility is a very important aspect of the EBRC Jaguar design, and to this end it has been equipped with a six-cylinder Volvo D11 turbodiesel engine that develops 500 hp, which, together with its 6×4 switchable to 6×6 drive, gives it excellent off-road capabilities. The maximum speed on the road is 90 km/h and thanks to its 500-litre fuel tank it has a range of 800 km. The engine is coupled to a seven-speed ZF automatic transmission and has been installed inside a soundproofed compartment, which makes it a very quiet and discreet vehicle, something vital in reconnaissance operations where it is usually operated close to the enemy. This vehicle can be airborne by the A-400M Atlas transport aircraft thanks to its weight of 25 tons.The Jaguar has a third steering axle, which gives it greater agility in tight areas, and it also has an adjustable hydropneumatic suspension that allows it to lower the overall height of the vehicle. This system has 4 positions: “park”, “road”, “intermediate” and “off-road”. When “off-road” is selected, the chassis is raised to the maximum height of 47 cm and allows it to cross water courses of 1.20 meters deep without preparation but is not amphibious. If the suspension is lowered to the maximum, it allows the Jaguar to lie in wait for the enemy behind mounds and trenches, leaving only the optronic sensors in view. It also has a tire pressure variation system and a run-flat device.Another aspect that has been taken into account during the design of the EBRC Jaguar has been maintenance. To this end, a monitoring system for the main mechanical components called HUMS (Health and Usage Monitoring Systems) has been installed. This system consists of different sensors connected to the brakes, gearbox, suspension and oil tank, which sends data to an analysis unit that determines what maintenance work needs to be carried out at any given time. This is what is known as “predictive maintenance” and is aimed at avoiding potential breakdowns due to wear and tear. This system works in conjunction with the SERUM system (Maintainer’s Unique Maintenance and Repair System) manufactured by Arquus, which is a computer that is plugged into the vehicle and performs diagnostics and identifies breakdowns.The gathering of information is the main task of the EBRC Jaguar and this is done by means of a complete system comprising about 20 different sensors, including cameras and optical and electronic sensors. The data obtained is shared between the components of the SCORPION system through the “SICS” or “Scorpion Combat Information System”, made by Atos-Bull, and the CONTACT (Tactical and theater digital communications) system developed by Thales. The first is a network where all combat information obtained by the battle group is shared and the second is what allows communication between vehicles with simultaneous data and voice transmission.It also has a “TopAxyz” unit, which provides information on the vehicle’s location and allows autonomous navigation in areas without GPS coverage (denied environments). Special emphasis has been placed on the development of a set of systems called “SCORPION Common Vetronics” that bring together powerful computer systems that unify all the navigation, observation, protection and communications data obtained and provide it to the crew. In addition, this system processes and exchanges data between vehicles and offers solutions to the crew to face the threat in the best possible way. Both systems have been created by Thales and are among the most advanced combat systems in the world.The fire control system and the digital optically stabilized panoramic sighting make up the PASEO system and is manufactured by Safran. It is an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) system for long-distance observation that also acts as a firing sight. The EBRC Jaguar carries two systems, the PASEO-T for the gunner and the PASEO-C for the commander. The gunner’s system is aligned with the 40mm gun and is located on the left side of the turret while the commander’s system is installed on the 7.62mm RCWS (remote controlled weapon station). This duplication allows the gunner to observe a certain area while the commander watches another different area, but if the commander detects a sudden threat, by pressing a button the turret can automatically aim at the new target and all that is left to do is open fire.PASEO system detects static or moving targets at day and night from more than 15 km away, can recognize them from more than 7 km away and identify them from 4 km away. The system has a HD camera, 6 sensors, a laser rangefinder and a SATIS GS thermal imager that monitors the 360º of the environment and operates between -30 and +62° in elevation. Thanks to its auto-tracking capability, it can follow an assigned target on land and in the air. Another system fitted to the Jaguar is ANTARES, manufactured by Thales. This is an optronic system that acts as a laser receiver and a close situational awareness system. Two devices have been installed on the turret to provide coverage in 360° around the vehicle and from -15° to +75° in the vertical field of view both day and night.The ANTARES system provides HD video images, in colour during the day and in black and white at night. Its integrated laser warning system alerts the Jaguar if it is targeted by a designator or a laser rangefinder and also warns of incoming missiles. Another system installed on the turret roof is the PILAR-V, which is a device that is capable of detecting and locating gunfire and RPG-type rockets in real time. It offers 360º coverage and a margin of error in the distance estimation of 10%. If there is more than one Jaguar in the area, their PILAR-V systems would exchange data to perform a triangulation and locate where the shots come from.The sensor array is completed by 5 peripheral cameras located on the sides and rear of the vehicle, which together with LST-11 backup optics for the commander and gunner provide a perfect topographical situation at all times. These LST-11 backup sights allow the gunner and commander to confront threats on the battlefield on their own. The commander has a panoramic sight installed at the top of the turret and the gunner has a direct optical channel located on the front of the turret (to the left of the 40mm barrel).The Jaguar has STANAG 4569 Level 4 armour protection allowing it to withstand 14.5mm armour-piercing ammunition, mine blasts, IEDs and artillery shell splinters. The hull is composed of welded aluminum armor with add-on armor kit and the underbody has been designed to direct the blast effect outwards in the style of MRAP vehicles and can withstand explosions of 10 kilograms of TNT. Passive protection can be increased by a modular armour package and a slat armour package against RPG-type anti-tank rockets is also available. The wheels have no type of protection, since the installation of armoured skirts resulted in a loss of speed and agility. The vehicle features chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protection via an internal overpressure system.EBRC Jaguar is equipped with modern active protection and features the ECLIPSE system manufactured by Thales, which is a smart software defined jammer that electronically protects against improvised explosive devices (IED) and radio controlled improvised explosive devices (RCIED). This software instantly jams a wide range of radio frequencies of the radio controls that activate the explosive devices without interfering with the communications of friendly vehicles. In addition, the Jaguar is equipped with an infrared jammer.It is also equipped with the GALIX system., which consists of 14 smoke grenade dischargers linked to the ANTARES laser warning system on the turret and the rest of the countermeasures systems. On each side of the turret there are 4 smoke grenade dischargers and in each rear corner there are 3 smoke grenade dischargers embedded in the hull. The system launches the grenades automatically in less than a second if detects a shot 5 km from the vehicle, creating a smoke cloud that hides the vehicle and prevents its detection by laser equipment. The grenades are launched at a maximum height of 7 meters and at a distance ranging from 20 to 60 meters from the vehicle, the smoke remaining active for 90 seconds. This system also has anti-personnel grenades with lethal and non-lethal warheads.Although the Jaguar‘s protection is very high, Thales and Nexter are developing another global system called PROMETEUS (unified terrestrial multi-effect protection) that will be installed on all vehicles of the SCORPION program. It is designed based on 3 main concepts: “versatile passive protection”, “reactive protection” and “active protection”. The active system is called “Diamant” and is a “hard-kill” system consisting of 4 radar sensors placed in the corners and a number of “effector modules” installed in the turret and around the vehicle. Once the radar sensors detect a threat (anti-tank missile or anti-tank rockets) the system activates one of the countermeasures contained in the effector modules to destroy or physically damage the threat and prevent it from penetrating the vehicle’s armor.The Jaguar‘s armament consists of a 40mm gun, MMP (Akeron MP) anti-tank missiles and a remote controlled weapon station armed with a 7.62mm machine gun. The 40mm 40CTC gun is fully stabilised and mounted in a turret called 40CTAS (40mm Cased Telescoped Armament System) along with the Ammunition Handling System (AHS). This gun have a very low recoil that uses telescoped rounds and have a rotating breech. The telescoped round is a type of ammunition in which the projectile is partially or completely enveloped by the propellant, allowing its size to be reduced. The gun has a rate of fire of 200 rounds per minute and can fire between -10° and +45° of elevation. It can be fired single shot or in bursts of 3 or 5 rounds.The 40CTC gun has a wide range of ammunition, but the French Army has selected the following: -APFSDS-T (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot-Tracer), -GPR-PD-T (General Purpose Round-Point Detonating-Tracer), -GPR-AB-T (General Purpose Round-Airburst-Tracer), -GPR-KE-T (General Purpose Round-Kinetic Energy-Tracer) and the TP-T (Target Practice-Tracer) round. The Jaguar carries 180 rounds, of which 65 are ready to use. The effective range is 3 km for the APFSDS-T tungsten core rounds and 2.5 km for the rest. The APFSDS-T rounds can penetrate 140 mm of RHA at 1.5 km, allowing them to destroy virtually any vehicle other than a main battle tank. The GPR-AB-T is a programmable round and can explode in mid-air above the target creating a cloud of shrapnel and is especially effective against entrenched soldiers.(Jaguar prototype image). The EBRC Jaguar also carries 4 MBDA Akeron MP (formerly MMP) anti-tank missiles that can be used against armoured vehicles or ground targets. It is a “fire and forget” missile with an effective range of 4-5 km against main battle tanks equipped with reactive armour thanks to a tandem warhead capable of penetrating up to 1,000mm of RHA armor. This missile enables non-line-of-sight (NLOS) strikes and has the ability to change its target during flight if it detects a more pressing threat. Two ready-to-fire missiles are carried in a double pod mounted on the right side of the turret, and two more are stored inside the hull. These missiles allow the Jaguar to become a fearsome adversary and enable it to come out on top if it suddenly encounters superior armoured forces during a reconnaissance mission.Finally, the Jaguar‘s armament is completed with the addition of a T3 Hornet S RCWS (remote controlled weapon station) armed with a 7.62mm FN MAG 58 machine gun. This is a turret made by Arquus that can be handled by the commander or the gunner and can operate in 3 different modes. It can be controlled by the PASEO system, it can be operated independently by the crew or as an axial weapon for the 40mm gun. This RCWS can rotate 360º and fire between -20° and +60° in elevation. The vehicle carries 2,750 rounds of 7.62mm of which 550 are ready for use. These RCWS are linked to the vetronics and share information obtained through the SCORPION system with other friendly vehicles. To avoid disorientation in case this turret is not aligned with the main turret, the commander and the gunner can see a silhouette of the vehicle on their screens with the orientation of each weapon or sight in relation to the chassis.Although the mass production order dates back to April 2017 and according to the Military Programming Law (LPM) for the period 2019-2025 the French Army should have a total of 300 EBRC Jaguars in service by 2025, the acquisition program is running late and only 50 vehicles have been incorporated in 2024. The first 20 were received by the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) in December 2021 and 18 were delivered to the 1st African Chasseur Regiment (1er RCA), which will be the unit in charge of training all units that will operate with the EBRC Jaguar. Finally, in August 2022 the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) of the Légion étrangère was the first operational unit equipped with Jaguar vehicles.The EBRC Jaguar has attracted the interest of several foreign customers, and the first to place an order was the Belgian Land Component (Belgian Army), which at the end of 2018, in the middle of the development phase, ordered 60 EBRC Jaguars and 382 VBMR Griffons for €1.5 billion. These vehicles will be delivered in 2025, and in September 2023, 761 Akeron MP anti-tank missiles were ordered to equip the Belgian Jaguars. In May 2024, Luxembourg signed an agreement for the acquisition of 38 EBRC Jaguars, 16 VBMR Griffons and 5 VBMR-L Servals that will form part of the future binational (Luxembourg and Belgium) reconnaissance and combat battalion. These vehicles will be delivered between 2028 and 2030.
