Three players in the Belgian defence industry are set to join forces to maintain the Belgian Army's armoured vehicles for 30 years, according to information obtained on Wednesday at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, near Paris.
However, the contract has yet to be signed and is subject to a decision by the Federal Government, which is expected by 21 July at the latest.
The three major players are FN Browning Group, parent company of FN Herstal, John Cockerill Defense and Thales Belgium. They have joined forces within the ‘LS2’ (Land Systems Logistic Support) programme.
Together, these partners will be responsible for maintaining several hundred armoured vehicles (including Griffons and Jaguars produced by the French company KNDS) expected as part of the Motorised Capability (CaMo) project agreed several years ago between France and Belgium.
This contract provides for the supply of nearly 400 armoured vehicles, with the possibility of more being added in the future. The three companies will also maintain all Belgian Army vehicles, according to industry sources.
To carry out this maintenance, a hall will have to be built at the Rocourt army base near Liège. This is where Belgium's main arsenal is located. More than 400 people, both military and civilian, work there to repair and maintain army equipment.
The Flemish company Jan De Nul will be responsible for building this hall, where the French armoured vehicles will be maintained. This will allow expertise and industrial secrets to be kept in-house, rather than sending the vehicles to other companies in third countries.
New jobs will be created within the three partner companies, for a contract worth around €100 million, according to the L-Post news site.
Defence sources acknowledge that a call for tenders has been issued and that a joint venture between the three players still had to be set up, which has been done very recently. The joint venture has just submitted a bid, which still has to be examined and then submitted to the federal cabinet. A decision is expected by 21 July at the latest.
When questioned on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show, none of the three companies wished to confirm the information.
