photo Armée de Terre
9 Sep 2011 By PIERRE TRAN DefenseNews
PARIS - French land systems company Nexter filed its bid for Canada's Close Combat Vehicle (CCV) competition at the end of August, said Mike Duckworth, the firm's international affairs director. The weapons manufacturer's bid is based on its VBCI fighting vehicle.
Nexter's Véhicule Blindé de Combat Infanterie (VBCI) goes up against BAE Systems' CV90 and General Dynamics' Piranha 5, which are competing in the Canadian government's off-the-shelf buy of an initial 108 units, with an option for 30 more, and through-life support.
"We submitted our proposal at the end of August," Duckworth said. "We are offering the VBCI, which will be adapted to the Canadian requirement."
Local industry partners are widely seen as a vital part of the Canadian competition.
Nexter's bid for the CCV contract is part of an export push that includes partnering with Larsen & Toubro to build a tracked version of its 155mm 52-caliber cannon, dubbed Trajan, to compete for a tender for the Indian Army. The gun is based on the Caesar wheeled-mounted gun built for the French Army.
As part of the export drive Nexter will be showing in public for the first time its XP2 demonstrator combat vehicle at the Defense & Security Equipment international (DSEi) show in London, opening Sept. 13.