Lebanon's armoured vehicle order is finalised

[Zarvan]

The Renault Sherpa is available in several different configurations. Source: IHS / Patrick Allen
The Lebanese military is to receive more than 200 French-made armoured vehicles as part of a pledged USD3 billion grant from Saudi Arabia to upgrade its capabilities.

The contract was signed on 2 February between Volvo-Renault trucks and ODAS, a company created by the French government to serve as an intermediary in foreign defence deals. Emmanuel Levacher, the president of Volvo Group Governmental Sales and director-general of Renault Trucks Defence, said that Sherpa Light 4x4 armoured tactical vehicles and VAB Mk3 6x6 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) will be delivered to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

"We finally just signed, after months of procrastination, a contract with ODAS within the framework of the aid programme to the Lebanese army, which involves the supply of 100 armoured Sherpa and 100 VAB Mk3," he said, without giving a delivery date.

The signing came as LAF commander General Jean Kahwagi was in Washington for two days of talks with the US Department of Defense on enhancing US military assistance to Lebanon.

In December 2013 Saudi Arabia announced it would pay for USD3 billion of French military equipment to help the LAF better defend Lebanon's borders with Syria and maintain internal stability. The deal was signed between Riyadh and Paris in November 2014 after months of negotiations about the type of weapons and equipment the LAF would receive.

The equipment to be purchased under the USD3 billion package includes 24 Nexter Caesar 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, 7 Airbus H215M Cougar helicopters, 3 CMN Combattante FS 56 fast-attack craft, and 6 VBL light armoured vehicles fitted with Mistral short-range surface-to-air missiles. The first delivery occurred in April 2015 with the arrival in Lebanon of 48 Milan anti-tank missile systems.

Saudi Arabia pledged an additional USD1 billion for the Lebanese security forces in 2014 following a five-day battle between the LAF and militants affiliated to Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate, in northeast Lebanon.

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http://www.janes.com/article/57739/lebanon-s-armoured-vehicle-order-is-finalised

 

[Malik Alashter]

I just don't get it why the Saudis obsessed with lebanon although that country isn't neighbor to the Saudis.

 

[Timur]

I just don't get it why the Saudis obsessed with lebanon although that country isn't neighbor to the Saudis.

maybe to prevent a certain groub of having bad ideas..

but I do not think that lebanon will be stable in the future one state wich will fall maybe in the upcoming next years..

 

[Penguin]

Sherpa Light is available in five variants and multiple configurations from 8 to 11 tons on the same 4X4 chassis. The range has been specifically designed to provide excellent payload and protection capabilities without degrading tactical mobility. Customized variants for Special Forces and Internal security Forces have been developed for their most demanding missions. The Sherpa Light Scout which, showcased in Kielce, is available in unarmored and armored variants. It is ideally suited for tactical missions such as scouting, patrol, convoy escort and command liaison. It is able to transport up to 4 or 5 soldiers and a roof-mounted weapon system.

VAB Mark III is based on the concept of the original VAB. This 20 t 6x6 medium armored vehicle is as rugged and reliable as its predecessor with far superior capabilities through the use of advanced protection and mobility technologies: increased power and payload (up to 4.7 t), larger internal volume, better tactical situational awareness, reinforced protection (ballistic kit up to NATO level 4 + anti-blast and IED kits). VAB Mark III is ideally suited for combat and riot-control missions with the ability to transport up to 2+10 soldiers.VAB Mk3 has amphibious capabilities

Nexter Ceasar

VBL Mistral

CMN Combattante FS 56

The Combattante FS56, evolution of sea proven CMN Combattante III class, is a Fast Attack Long Range Craft, able to perform with a high level of efficiency the tasks required by a Patrol Missile Boat mission’s profiles.
Combattante FS56 - CMN Group

Airbus H215M Cougar

The H215M is a nine-ton-class rotorcraft from Airbus Helicopters’ Cougar/Super Puma family, combining the product line’s mission-proven ruggedness with a full glass cockpit, modern avionics, competitive operating and maintenance costs, and the ability to be armed for ground attack and support missions. The H215M can carry a crew of two up to 24 troops for transport missions. It can accommodate six patients on stretchers plus 10 other passengers on medical evacuation flights.
Helicopter AS532 ALe - Airbus Helicopters

France begins to supply arms to Lebanon for the funds allocated to Saudi Arabia | Kaskus - The Largest Indonesian Community