French Texelis Partners With Ukrainian Company to Develop Armored Vehicles

French defense company Texelis has signed a memorandum with a Ukrainian partner to jointly develop a range of armored vehicles, according to La Tribune.

The vehicles will be based on Texelis’ Celeris chassis, which is already in service with the French military, including in the Serval armored vehicle.

Texelis positions Celeris as an entirely military 4×4 platform that can be adapted to customer needs through full industrial partnership.

The company said the chassis is designed specifically for military use, not derived from commercial models.

“We are offering them the Celeris solution to develop a line of armored vehicles. In the post-conflict period, we can help them design vehicles to NATO standards,” Texelis Marketing Director Marin Tolle shared.

The Celeris chassis weighs around 3,500 kg without tires and 4,300 kg with tires. A typical armored vehicle based on it is expected to have a gross weight between 13 and 18.5 tons.

The platform uses a Cummins ISL9 Euro 3 diesel engine with 375 hp (275 kW), paired with an Allison 3200SP gearbox, a two-speed transfer case, and a neutral position.

Depending on the configuration, the Celeris can exceed 100 km/h in forward speed. Reverse speed reaches up to 15 km/h, with a minimum operational speed of 5 km/h using low gear and locked torque converter.

If Ukraine agrees to localize production and adopt the vehicle line for its military, the memorandum could represent a significant commercial breakthrough for Texelis.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that France has ordered 530 Serval Appui SCORPION armored vehicles for its own army. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in late 2025 and continue through 2031, according to France’s General Directorate of Armaments (DGA).