Nexter teams with Greek partner to propose IFV for Hellenic Army
Nexter unveiled Philoctetes at DEFEA 2021. (Photo: Nexter)
Philoctetes is being offered to meet a Greek requirement for modernised IFVs.
Nexter has signed a strategic partnership with state-run Hellenic Defence Systems (HDS) to meet a Hellenic Army requirement for modernised IFVs, in the latest manifestation of the close Franco-Greek defence relationship.
The two firms are proposing a solution called Philoctetes, which was first unveiled in July 2021 at the DEFEA exhibition in Athens.
Philoctetes is a VBCI-2 8x8 vehicle with a two-person Nexter T40 turret featuring a 40mm CTAS cannon and MBDA medium-range missile launcher.
The 32t VBCI-2 includes multiple variants (APC, command post, 120mm mortar, medevac and vehicle recovery), and Nexter stated that it is applying feedback from the French Army in the design of the Philoctetes IFV.
For example, the new IFV envisaged for the Hellenic Army will include a 600hp engine to ensure ‘very high tactical, strategic and operational mobility’, Nexter claimed. Previous versions of VBCI-2 feature a Volvo D13 diesel engine generating up to 500hp.
The Greek Army operates a fleet of tracked APCs numbering more than 2,600 vehicles. Types include Cold War-era designs such as the BMP-1A1 Ost, the Leonidas I and II (locally-produced versions of the Steyr 4K-7FA-G17) and various versions of the M113, all of which fall short in their lethality, mobility and protection when compared with modern designs.
Shephard Defence Insight forecasts a Hellenic Army requirement for 500 vehicles – at a modelled unit price of $5.5 million, this would the overall cost of procuring Philoctetes at $2.8 billion.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![British Army fires Javelin from Boxer as Australia set for lightweight launchers]()
British Army fires Javelin from Boxer as Australia set for lightweight launchers
Australia has received approval to buy Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units (LwCLU) on the same day as the British Army announced the first firing from a Boxer armoured vehicle, a sign of the continuing interest in the weapon. Billons-of-dollars of Javelin missiles and systems have been ordered in the past two years.
-
![Lockheed picks Australian site for GMLRS support and possible missile manufacture]()
Lockheed picks Australian site for GMLRS support and possible missile manufacture
A final decision on the siting of an Australian Weapons Manufacturing Complex (AMWC), which will produce all-up GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) rounds, will be made by the Australian Department of Defence (DoD).
-
![Raytheon and Diehl Defence sign deal to co-produce Stinger missiles in Europe]()
Raytheon and Diehl Defence sign deal to co-produce Stinger missiles in Europe
An agreement has been signed that will extend Stinger missile system production to Europe with Diehl Defence currently looking at manufacturing locations.
-
![New version of Altay tank to be delivered “soon” with Turkish engine for later iterations]()
New version of Altay tank to be delivered “soon” with Turkish engine for later iterations
The first of the Altay T1 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) will have a South Korean power pack while later Altay T2s will be fitted with the locally made BMC BATU engine.
