2018
Renault Trucks Defense becomes Arquus
24-5-2018, the centenary year of the FT 17 “Victory Tank” and the end of
the First World War, will see the arrival of Arquus, heir to the
prestigious brands that have outfitted and supported the French armed
forces for more than one hundred years: Renault, Panhard and ACMAT.
One hundred years of
experience
Arquus Defense is rooted in a century of innovation
and development at the service of the armed forces. This industrial
tradition, which began with Panhard and Levassor, has marked the history
of national defense through mythical figures such as Marius Berliet (the
trucks of the Sacred Way) and Louis Renault, co-inventor of the FT 17.
It has produced equally legendary armored vehicles such as the AML, EBR,
VBL and VLBRA, to provide support, liaison and reconnaissance, and the
VAB personnel carrier. Today it is reflected in the armored vehicles in
the Scorpion program and the development of the vehicles of the future.
Well-established in France with five production
centers and a design office of more than five hundred engineers backed
up by a flexible industrial structure, Arquus maintains and perfects
expert know-how, enriched by one hundred years of manufacturing
legendary armored vehicles and increasing investment in innovation.
These vehicles of today and tomorrow are the product
of close cooperation between military leaders and industry leaders. They
are also the result of the technical brilliance of engineers and
operators, and the successful outcome of a strategy that is constantly
reassessed and adjusted accordingly.
Arquus: an overview
Arquus has annual revenue of €500 million, a healthy
order book evenly spread over France, exports and in-service vehicle
support, and a wide range of products, including the Bastion, the
Griffon, the Sherpa and the VBCI. Arquus' teams provide in-service
vehicle support for 90% of the French Army’s vehicles, totaling 25,000
Arquus vehicles currently in service.
Arquus’ order book for exports is continually growing
and includes a recent large order for 300 Sherpas for a Gulf state, an
SFMC contract in the pipeline, and very good results in Africa. Arquus’
product range is renowned, in France and abroad, for the excellent
quality of its chassis and systems, the mobility and endurance offered
on every type of terrain, and the high level of protection for operating
crews.
A new name in the service of defense
The current geostrategic and competitive environment
prompted Arquus to analyze the company’s positioning in the land-based
arms industry and its entire spectrum of products and services. The
company identified the key issues and challenges resulting from a
shifting strategic context. The time was right to develop an updated
strategy and create a new corporate identity.
Faced with growing geostrategic complexity and to
better meet customers’ needs, Renault Trucks Defense, ACMAT and Panhard
decided to combine their expertise and join forces under a single brand:
Arquus.
The name Arquus comes from two Latin roots: arma and
equus. Equus is the horse that endows the soldier with mobility on the
battlefield. Arma are the weapons, the vehicles’ armament.
Arquus is thus a contraction of armis equus: the
warhorse, the soldier’s trusted companion in battle. Arma is also the
root of the word armor. Protected mobility is indeed an integral part of
Arquus’ DNA. Arquus thus refers to both the mobility and agility that
modern mounts must offer the armed forces, and to the protection needed
against projectiles, shrapnel, and all kinds of improvised devices that
threaten soldiers on the battlefield.
Arquus, an updated offering for an ever-increasing number
of missions
Ever attentive to its customers’ needs, Arquus offers
an impressive array of agile, protected, tailored products, tried and
tested on every theater of operations, in both France and abroad. Its
offering is enriched with increasingly efficient vehicle support
services to guarantee the operational availability and durability of
vehicles and equipment.
The aim of Arquus is to be the leading European expert
in light and medium-sized wheeled armored tactical vehicles. To this
end, the company has rolled out a complete, updated offering of products
and services worldwide. Arquus offers governments complete land systems
and effective integrated support, provided by an international team, for
their defense and security.
The Volvo Group is more determined than ever to
support Arquus’ growth with its full range of resources and by
contributing to the development of its industrial sites, which today
employ 1,500 people in the employment basins of Saint-Nazaire, Marolles
en Hurepoix, Saint-Germain Laval, Limoges, and Fourchambault.
