Cockerill concludes purchase of Arquus

Belgian company John Cockerill Defense announced on 2 June that it had completed the purchase of French military vehicle maker Arquus with the French and Belgian governments both signing MoUs to support the purchase and each country taking a 10% holding in John Cockerill.

The acquisition of the company from Volvo vehicles began in January and brings together Arquus fleet of vehicles and John Cockerill’s range of turrets. The company has a stated aim of an annual turnover of €1 billion (US$1.1 billion) and a workforce of 2,000 by 2026.

Arquus’s range of vehicles for the French defence forces has included Trapper VT4 light all-terrain vehicles, Véhicule Blindé Léger (VBL) 4x4 reconnaissance and liaison vehicles and Griffon 6x6 multirole armoured vehicles.

Among John Cockerill products, the Cockerill 1030 uncrewed turret can be armed with a 30x113mm chain gun and a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. Other products by the company include the 105mm-armed XC-8 turret, and the Cockerill LCTS 90 MP, 3000 and CSE 90LP turret systems.

At last month’s Eurosatory, Arquus unveiled the MAV’Rx which features a monocoque welded steel structure with applique passive armour and is powered by a front-mounted Volvo diesel engine producing 400hp, paired with a ZF fully automatic transmission.

The prototype shown was equipped with the John Cockerill Defence Cockerill Protected Weapon Station, which includes a stabilised 25mm cannon and a 7.62mm machine gun. The vehicle also had the Pillar gunfire detection system commonly used in French Army armoured vehicles.