Many may know Arquus better under its former names, Renault Trucks Defense, ACMAT and Panhard, although the company has now been present under its new identity for five years and Arquus has been present at the two last DEFEA exhibitions. The partnership between Arquus and the Hellenic Army started in 1997 with the delivery of a first batch of 13 Panhard VBL light armored reconnaissance vehicles.
The VBL has immediately been appreciated for its versatility, mobility and adaptability, which makes it a vehicle of choice for reconnaissance, communications, mobile command post, anti-tank and general-purpose transport missions. Throughout the years, the total number of vehicles delivered has reached 240, making it one of the largest VBL fleets in service in the world. The VBLs have since been serving in foreign deployments, sometimes even shoulder-to-shoulder with their French cousins.
Since the delivery of the first VBLs to Greece, Arquus has always been at the side of the Hellenic Army, creating together solutions for training, spares procurement and fleet management. As part of this commitment, Arquus has carried out numerous technology transfers to give the Hellenic Army operational autonomy for the maintenance of VBLs up to level 5.
As part of the same long-term commitment, Arquus recently delivered two VBL Ultima to the Hellenic Army, one of which is on display on Arquus’ stand at DEFEA 2023. The VBL Ultima is a new standard for the VBL, aimed at further enhancing the capabilities of the vehicle, developed for the French Army and currently being implemented by Arquus in their plant in Saint-Nazaire. A production line has specifically been set to ensure the success of this much-expected program for a very demanding client.