William Molinié 6:15 a.m., February 13, 2022

REPORT - Europe 1 visited the Canjuers base of the 1st African Hunters Regiment in the Var, where the first armored reconnaissance and combat vehicles of the Army arrived.

The war of the future is being prepared there... 

REPORTING

It is an illustration of the rise in power of the army, while a risk of war is emerging at the gates of Europe.

The Jaguar, a kind of light tank not with tracks but with wheels, has just been delivered.

20 vehicles arrived at the Canjuers base in the Var, the largest military training ground in Western Europe.

There, the military are hardening themselves to prepare for a high-intensity conflict and anticipate new connected combat with the armies' "Scorpion" program: "intelligent" vehicles, capable of autonomously exchanging crucial information to take the upper hand on a battlefield.

What is the jaguar?

The Jaguar, like the eponymous animal, can remain silent on the lookout, behind its thicket, before suddenly swooping down on its prey.

25 tonnes of armor, ammunition and high technology: discretion and firepower, unlike the Leclerc tank, "which has to be engaged against a much heavier enemy. However, it has increased capabilities compared to its predecessors. It has the ability to shoot while driving on a moving target and you can continue to fight despite a puncture", underlines Lieutenant-Colonel Bertrand, in charge of the training of pilots and gunners of the army, questioned by Europe 1.

How is it equipped?

Its 40mm cannon and its four anti-tank missiles make it an essential weapon on the next battlegrounds.

It is able to evolve in all weathers, and in all environments, both in the desert and in the snowy plains of Eastern Europe.

For Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey, Jaguar program officer in the Army's technical section, its projection capability is a real asset because it can be loaded into the A400M transport plane without being dismantled.

"It is intended to be projected quickly where the forces are to bring them mobility, flexibility of use but above all firepower".

When and how will the jaguar be deployed?

The Army's objective is to deploy it next year in a theater of war.

The first 20 vehicles have just arrived at the 1st regiment of African hunters (1st RCA).

The equipment had become obsolete, recognizes Hervé Grandjean, spokesperson for the armies: "In the recent period, there was a lot of aging equipment within the army, some 40, 50 years old. And we needed to renew this important segment of combat. In the field, it is a condition of superiority to be able to rely on the latest generation armored vehicles. We needed to fill in the gaps and prepare for the future", he adds.

By 2030, the army should thus be equipped with 300 Jaguars.