In January 2016, the General Directorate of Defense [DGA] Arquus informed about the PLFS programs [Poids Lourd des forces spéciales] as a replacement for light reconnaissance and support vehicles [VLRA] Used by units made available to Special Operations Command [COS].
However, the first 25 units, delivered in an “initial standard to meet urgent needs,” did not live up to expectations from the COS, which reported “malfunctions” that could affect their use in operations. And so they were sent back to the industrialist.
However, the changes made to these 25 PLFS from Standard 1 were still not sufficient for the COS. “These vehicles had too many application limits,” summarized the specialist magazine RAIDS in 2022. Eventually it was decided to hand them over to the commando groups of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade [BIM] and the 11th Parachute Brigade [BP] for their motorized patrols.
However, the Ministry of Defense has evidently decided to go further… In fact, at its last press conference on June 29, it announced that the 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment [RHP] had just received its first “aerial reconnaissance and vanguard vehicles” called “Grizzly”.
“Arquus-developed and derived from the Sherpa series, the Grizzly is designed to provide high-interest intelligence infiltration/exfiltration capabilities fully autonomously for several days in a run-down and hostile environment,” explained Olivia Penichou, Defense Intelligence and Communications Officer [DICoD]. No information was given on the costs of this program.
By 2030, the 11th BP will receive around forty Grizzlies…even if this new vehicle does not appear in the capacity table of the report accompanying the Military Programming Act [LPM]. And a priori, since the 2nd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, it is intended only for airborne troops [RPIMa] will also be equipped with it, about ten copies are to be sent to Réunion.