The Federal Minister of Defense Theo Francken and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu concluded an agreement intended to strengthen collaboration with Belgian industry for an order of several hundred French armored vehicles, write the Echo and Tijd on Thursday.
Belgium and France had announced in June a future government agreement with government serving as a manager in pursuit of the motorized capacity partnership (CAMO). New negotiations are underway for a contract called Camo 3 and intended for the acquisition of armored vehicles, in particular griffon, Jaguar, and Caesar artillery systems, for the benefit of a French consortium. However, criticisms emanated from the Court of Auditors about the low economic feedback of these partnerships in Belgium.
According to Theo Francken, the two countries were able to agree on a more balanced agreement, so that Belgium becomes “an important partner in the French defense industry”. “Thanks to this partnership, (…) we will strengthen our national defense industry,” he says. The text should be finalized for September.
Concretely, France is committed to placing orders to the Belgian defense industry, in particular for the supply of ammunition and turrets for French armored vehicles by the FN Herstal. The agreement would also relate to the installation of turrets by John Cockerill Defense.
There is also talk of the research program around the VBAE (armored vehicle for commitment to engagement) whose prosecution could eventually allow the installation of a production line on the Audi site in Forest.
