Arquus Wins the ‘Contract of the Century’: France Orders 7,000 Military Trucks

French armored vehicle manufacturer Arquus has won a large-scale tender for the supply of military trucks for the French army.

According to several sources, the company won the tender for the supply of 7,000 logistics and tactical vehicles worth about €5 billion, according to the French newspaper La Tribune.

The winning bid was submitted in partnership with Daimler Trucks, which allowed Arquus to beat out competitors in terms of price.

The tender became the largest for the French army in the field of cargo platforms – it is already being called the ‘Contract of the Century’ in the military automotive industry.

The partnership between Arquus and Daimler Trucks was officially presented at the FED defense forum, where the new Zetros 6×6 by Arquus truck was shown.

The need to update the equipment is extremely high. France plans to replace 9,466 vehicles of various types, of which 2,086 logistics trucks are a priority.

The DGA tender, announced in July 2024, covers a 12-year replacement program for trucks with a payload of more than 6 tons and the option of installing a protected cab.

Four competitors applied to participate: Arquus-Daimler, Soframe-Iveco, MAN and Scania. The final bids were submitted to the DGA on October 14.

Despite the fact that Soframe received the highest technical scores, it was Arquus’ price offer that proved to be decisive for the victory.

The Zetros 6×6 by Arquus is based on the proven Daimler Trucks chassis, and Arquus is responsible for militarization, armor and system integration.

The chassis will be manufactured in Wert am Rhein and Molsheim, and the armored cabs will be produced at Arquus’ plants in Garchyga and Limoges. The maintenance will be performed at the company’s facilities in Saint-Nazaire.

As a reminder, France’s anti-drone shield was recently announced: Scania France will produce 50 VAMPIRE trucks with Mistral missiles.