PARIS — French procurement officials have launched a test of industry interest in replacing light vehicles and supplying a truck for special operations forces, an industry executive said.
Just before Christmas, the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA) sent out forms that companies can fill in and return if they are interested in pitching a product, the executive said.
The consultation with industry referred to between 150 andto 250 light vehicles and the same number for trucks to equip the élite forces.
This is effectively a "call for" potential bidders, which precedes a request for information and request for proposal, with the latter launching a tender.
The DGA neither confirmed nor denied the consultation, a spokesman said.
It was not clear whether the requirement would be for a vehicle fully equipped with communications and command, navigation and logistical support, or for a bare vehicle that which would be fitted for, but not with, the equipment.
This consultation looked like a testing of the market to see what is available and to evaluate the competition, the executive said.
The special forces operate a fleet of P4 SAS vehicles and 51 Panhard VPS (véhicule protégé SAS), both of which are heavily worn due to intense use.
French troops fighting in the Mali campaign, dubbed Serval, encountered guerrilla fighters using pickup trucks armed with the Russian 14.5mm gun. The latter has a range of 1.2 kilometers, greater than that of the 12.7mm, or 0.50-inch, NATO standard weapon.
The French Army wrote that lesson learnt into the requirement for the special forces' replacement vehicles, the executive said.
Email: ptran@defensenews.com.
