A new buyer for armored vehicles could be Ireland, which is noteworthy for having provided assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the summer of 2023, including sending instructors to train our new recruits.
Even the general outline of this story suggests that it is unjust to claim that Europe is not addressing its own defense capabilities in light of the ongoing threat from the Russian Federation.
Specifically, in this narrative, the authors of the portal Army Recognition present the following details.
During hearings in the French Parliament on February 12, 2025, Alexandre Dupuy, Director of System Programs at KNDS France, stated directly that Ireland wants to become a new buyer of French-made armored vehicles produced under the Scorpion program, citing Belgium as an example, which has already placed orders for French armored vehicles under this program.
At this point, we can only note Ireland's intention to become a new buyer of French armored vehicles. However, it is interesting to mention that until the mid-2010s, the Irish army operated a fleet of French armored vehicles from the "Cold War" era, specifically the Panhard AML-20 with a 20mm gun and the AML-90 with a 90mm gun.
According to data from The Military Balance 2024, last year Ireland had a defense budget of €1.24 billion, and the entire fleet of the Irish army comprised 107 armored vehicles of various types, including 27 South African RG-32M armored vehicles and 80 Swiss-made Piranha III armored vehicles in various configurations.
Additionally, it is worth recalling that under the Scorpion program, France is producing three types of wheeled armored vehicles - the multipurpose Griffon and Serval, as well as the Jaguar for fire support and reconnaissance.
Earlier, Defense Express reported that France spent a full 7 years researching technologies for creating ground combat robots, and also that this country tested an anti-tank guided missile with a range of 20 km, but there are issues.
