French army’s General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) published on September 22 that it notified the company UNAC on August 30, 2022, of the order of the last 180 Fardier vehicles out of the 300 provided for by the military programming law 2019-2025, and the last 100 trailers out of the 172 also planned. Worth a total of 44 million euros, the contract for the flatbed vehicles and their trailers also includes 10 years of support from the manufacturer. Eight Fardiers are scheduled to be delivered this year. Deliveries will continue until 2027.
Intended for Army airborne troops and special forces, the Fardier is a small air-transportable, air-droppable and heliportable 4×4 transport vehicle. It makes it possible to deploy commandos quickly, to lighten the dismounted combatant in any zone, and to facilitate the self-defense of the deployment zones.
The first two Fardiers were delivered to the army on April 19, 2022. They will be used during Manticore, a joint exercise with the Land Special Forces Command, the 11th Parachute Brigade and the 4th Aerocombat Brigade, which takes place from September 16 to October 7.
The Fardier can be embarked on board a military transport plane (C-130 Hercules or A400M Atlas, for example), parachuted (from C-130 Hercules and A400M Atlas) and transported by helicopter under sling (Caracal and NH90, for example). Thanks to this vehicle, the commandos can be dropped or landed at a safe distance and then move quickly with their equipment towards their objectives.
A light all-terrain compact vehicle weighing 2 tonnes, the Fardier has a high capacity for crossing and moving over terrain inaccessible to conventional 4x4s. Robust and reliable, it was designed without any electronic system to avoid any non-repairable breakdown in operation. It is capable of towing a 120mm mortar or transporting several large pieces of equipment using its trailer that can carry a load of up to 350kg, according to the manufacturer’s technical data. It also makes it possible to quickly evacuate a lying injured person to a place of care.