French military ramps up delivery of Serval armored vehicles amid modernization push

As of September 19, 2023, the military had acquired 150 units. However, this represents just the starting phase of a larger plan, aiming to incorporate a total of 2038 units into service by 2030. This year alone, the integration of 103 vehicles is anticipated.

These vehicles are being distributed to soldiers in various versions, encompassing patrol, communications and electronic warfare, reconnaissance, ambulance, and command vehicle functionalities. They are intended to complement the Griffons VBMR and Jaguars EBRC while replacing the nearly five-decade-old Véhicule de l’avant blindé (VAB) wheeled armored personnel carriers. Primary recipients include the 1st Parachute Brigade and the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade.

The most recent agreement pertaining to the Serval was signed on February 1, under which Nexter Systems and Texelis pledged to produce and deliver 420 units. For this, the Ministry of the Armed Forces is set to allocate €500 million (about $548.5 million), a sum sourced from French taxpayers. The funding secures the purchase of the vehicles through the military programming law (Loi de programmation militaire, LPM) covering the years 2024-2030.

In the latest vehicle batch, the electronic warfare (EW) variant will be included. Previously, the army received or contracted vehicles in armored transporter, command vehicle, technical support vehicle, ambulance, ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance), and tactical communication node versions. The Servals are also slated to operate as carriers for the Akeron MP anti-tank guided missiles and anti-aircraft platforms with the VSHORAD missile system.

Serial production of the Serval commenced over three years ago. In 2022, the French military received 60 vehicles, followed by 129 the subsequent year, based on a contract for 489 units. This leaves the contractors with the substantial task of delivering another 289 vehicles within the remaining two years of the contract, a number significantly larger than what has been delivered so far.

In September 2022, operational and tactical evaluations of the Servals were conducted in Djibouti, involving the 5th Overseas Interarms Regiment (5e Régiment Interarmes d'Outre-Mer, 5RIAOM) alongside the Joint Training and Logistics Support Center – 51st Infantry Regiment (Centre d’Entraînement InterArmes et du soutien Logistique – 51e Régiment d’Infanterie, CENTIAL-51e RI). The purpose was to verify the vehicles' performance and initiate "first training" for their operators within a challenging desert setting, highlighting their behavior in high dust-level environments.

Such tests were crucial given the traditional operating environments of the Armée de terre in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a special focus on the Serval’s electronic systems, including the Scorpion battlefield management system (SIC-S, Système d'information du combat Scorpion – Scorpion).

Depending on the configuration and armaments, the Servals weigh between 33,069 to 37,478 pounds. They can carry up to nine (including two crew members) fully equipped soldiers with components of the FÉLIN (Fantassin à Équipements et Liaisons Intégrés) future soldier system. Features include an acoustic shot detection system, Scorpion combat management system, and a remotely controlled weapon module mounted on the cabin roof with a choice of a 7.62-mm machine gun, 12.7-mm heavy machine gun, or 40-mm automatic grenade launcher, alongside a Galix-type smoke grenade launcher.

In June 2023, the vehicle also debuted a new tactical camouflage, CAM.TAC, during a presentation at the Mourmelon le Grand military base, approximately 93 miles west of Paris. Comprising exclusively equilateral triangle sections intertwined to create segmented geometric compositions, this design aims to disrupt the vehicle's shape. Although geometric shapes are naturally uncommon, their angles blur with distance, complicating optical detection systems' identification and targeting efforts. Plans include the introduction of three camouflage types: European, desert, and snowy environments, with no intention for an urban camouflage.

However, Paris's pride in acquiring 200 of these types of vehicles is tempered by the lofty goal of providing another 289 vehicles to the military by the end of 2025, less than two years away. Only at the end of 2023 did two Serval versions pass qualification tests, facilitating serial production and military acceptance.

The focus includes Artillery Observation Vehicles (VOA) and armored ambulances (SAN). The VBMR-L in the SAN version (with equivalents also being developed based on the Griffons) is critical for the readiness of the Military Health Service (Service de Santé des Armées, SSA) to perform medical support tasks during warfare. By 2030, the French land forces aim to possess 135 Serval sanitary versions, necessitating the delivery of over 20 vehicles annually. Currently, military medics rely on the VAB Sanitaire.

Despite the challenges in fulfilling Serval orders, expansion of the production facility in Roanne, where these vehicles are manufactured, is anticipated to not only expedite their production but also enhance the availability of other vehicles, reflecting the effectiveness of the lauded French war economy.