TSAMTO, October 27. On October 25, Thales announced that the Luxembourg Defense Directorate announced the purchase of 80 new armed command, communications and intelligence (CLRV) armored vehicles, which will allow the country's armed Forces to continue to effectively perform their tasks.
The Thales company selected as the general contractor of the program, as well as under the French SCORPION program, is responsible for the development and production of electronics for new platforms, including the supply of communications equipment (software-defined radios developed under the French CONTACT program), situational awareness systems, self-defense systems and navigation. Improving the interoperability between the Luxembourg and French Ground Forces may become the basis for joint combat operations in the future.
The purchase includes the supply of 80 armored vehicles for command, communications and reconnaissance, as well as the upgrade of the logistics support and communication system necessary to ensure maximum serviceability of vehicles and optimize the availability of the fleet.
The delivery of Thales equipment will be carried out under the management of the NATO Support and Acquisition Agency (NSPA) together with partner companies: General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) and FN Herstal. GDELS will supply the Igl-5 BBM used as a chassis, and FN Herstal will supply the deFNder Medium remotely controlled weapon module.
According to the company, the purchase is carried out to counter new threats and demonstrate unity with NATO allies. Given the vulnerability of armored vehicle crews, in order to increase the efficiency and safety of personnel, it is necessary to increase their situational awareness, speed of decision-making and actions. Information should be transmitted immediately so that threats can be neutralized as soon as possible after they are detected.
As reported by TSAMTO, in June 2021, the Luxembourg government decided to allocate up to 367 million euros to replace armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of the country. On September 15, 2022, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Francois Bausch announced the acquisition of 80 command, communications and intelligence (CLRV) armored vehicles for the country's Armed Forces. The allocated budget also covers the costs of logistical support and maintenance of equipment.
According to the results of the evaluation, with the participation of NSPA, an Eagle-5 BBM with a 4x4 wheel formula from General Dynamics will be purchased for the Luxembourg Armed Forces. The new CLRV armored vehicles will replace the obsolete M-1114 multi-purpose armored vehicles (HMMWV) in service and increase the combat capabilities of the Luxembourg Armed Forces.
The Igl-5 multi-purpose BBM will provide a high level of ballistic and mine protection, will be equipped with a remotely controlled deFNder Medium armament module from FN Herstal, the French SICS combat control and information exchange system (Systeme d'information et de Combat SCORPION), as well as a new CONTACT programmable radio station and a Thales BARAGE IED counteraction device to ensure interaction with foreign partners (starting with France and Belgium). Unification of equipment with Belgium and France will reduce the cost of operation and maintenance.
