The French armed forces are procuring the MEPAC mortar carrier as part of their SCORPION modernization program. MEPAC stands for Mortier Embarqué pour l'Appui au Contact, i.e. “Vehicle-Based Mortar for Fire Support at the Front”. A corresponding order was placed at the end of December 2019 by the French procurement authority DGA to the consortium of companies consisting of Nexter, Arquus and Thales.
The carrier vehicle is the Véhicule Blindé Multi-Role (VBMR, armored multi-purpose vehicle) “Griffon”, which is already equipped as part of the SCORPION program and will be equipped with the 120mm mortar weapon 2R2M (Rifled Recoiled Mounted Mortar) from Thales. A total of 54 MEPACs are to be procured, which will increase the number of Griffon vehicles to 1,872. The first vehicle is scheduled to arrive in 2023. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed in 2027.
The Thales mortar weapon 2R2M was specially developed for vehicle-based use and weighs around 1,500 kg. The weapon has a rifled barrel and a semi-automatic loading system. According to the company, the range with normal ammunition is 8,100 meters, with extended-range ammunition (rocket motor) it can be effective at around 13 kilometers. A typical vehicle crew consists of four soldiers: commander, driver and gunner and loader. Effective fire can occur in less than a minute, after which the vehicle can immediately leave the firing position. The firing rate is ten shots per minute.
The Thales 2R2M mortar weapon is currently in use by four user states, and the French armed forces are introducing it for the first time. This is according to information from the company consortium a further modified version with improvements to the system architecture and the optronics. The Griffon will also be modified to accommodate a weapon system, operator and ammunition supply. It also has enlarged roof hatches.
Jan-Phillipp Weisswange
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