Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus is expediting discussions to acquire French-made armoured vehicles for the National Guard under the European Union’s SAFE programme.
Planned purchases and upgrades
According to French newspaper La Tribune, the government is seeking to purchase around 80 Griffon vehicles and 100 Serval vehicles from France, with some potentially fitted with arms manufacturer Akeron’s MP anti-tank missiles.
The defence ministry is also in talks with French company Arquus to upgrade roughly 80 VAB armoured vehicles already in service, while European defence contractor KNDS is seeking to increase the number of Griffon and Serval vehicles on order.
“Cyprus is actively negotiating with Arquus for a very important supply of armoured vehicles, as well as the renovation of part of the VAB fleet,” La Tribune reported.
Vehicle roles and specifications
The Griffon is an armoured personnel carrier designed to transport infantry and support reconnaissance, command and operational tasks.
It carries a three-man crew plus up to eight soldiers, with protection against ballistic threats, mines and improvised explosive devices.
It can be fitted with a remotely operated weapons station carrying either machine guns or grenade launchers.
The Serval is a lighter SUV armoured vehicle carrying a crew of two and up to six soldiers.
The vehicle is intended for reconnaissance as well as special operations.
EU SAFE programme
The SAFE programme, a 150-billion-euro EU financing mechanism, is designed to facilitate procurement of defence equipment by member states through favourable loans.
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