Effective December 28, 2023, this new contract aims to strengthen the vehicles of the Chilean police forces with the production and delivery of 5 BASTION vehicles. This contract strengthens cooperation and confirms the good commercial relations between the Chilean Carabineros and Arquus. Scheduled for delivery in 2024, the production of the BASTIONs has already begun at the Arquus Limoges New Vehicle Production Center of Excellence. The arrival of the BASTION in the Chilean police force is a major asset for the modernization of their fleet and the improvement of their operational capabilities. They complement the range of Arquus vehicles already present in Chile: delivery in 2009 of Petit Véhicule Protégé (PVP) and in 2014 of a SHERPA APC Ladder. The BASTIONs will be assigned to the southern macro-zone of Araucanía.

Developed since 2012, the BASTION was specifically designed to meet customer requirements: robustness and exceptional mobility capacity. Today, renowned and approved, it is one of the benchmark vehicles on operational theaters worldwide. The BASTION is the ideal vehicle to guarantee operational efficiency and the survival of soldiers in the field through the optimization of the triad “protection, mass, mobility”. The successful integration of these three performances in the design of the BASTION ensures an effective synergy, allowing the vehicle to meet operational requirements while maximizing the safety and mobility of forces on the ground. By mounting a welded mechanical body onto the chassis of the BASTION, Arquus has developed a solution that is at once simple, rugged, easily industrializable, and sustainable, offeringgreat adaptability with the existing fleets of Light Reconnaissance and Support Vehicles (VLRA) around the world.

With a total authorized weight in load (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating – GVWR) of 12 tons and a carrying capacity of up to 10 passengers (2+8), the BASTION is equipped with enhanced protection enabling it to withstand ballistic threats and mines. Its simplicity of use and maintenance combined with its great versatility make the BASTION a success in numerous missions. Since 2020, the BASTION has been equipped with a re-engined version featuring a four cylinder engine of 270 horsepower. This re-engining of the BASTION offers unprecedented capabilities in terms of speed and crossing ability, enhancing its capacities across all operational theaters.

Arquus is a French defence company and a leader in ground mobility solutions. As a long-standing partner of the armed forces, Arquus has almost 25,000 vehicles of all types in service with the French Army, including 20,000 supported by the company. Arquus is involved in the production of the new generation of Army vehicles, the VBMR Griffon and EBRC Jaguar, produced by the temporary consortium. In particular, Arquus is responsible for supplying the drivelines and the remotely operated self-defence systems for these two vehicles. Arquus also provides all the logistics for replacement parts and units for the VBMR and EBRC vehicles under the Scorpion programme through its logistics platform at Garchizy. As a support specialist, with almost 20,000 vehicles supported on a routine basis, Arquus offers complete solutions, drawing on the company’s historic competencies. These solutions rely on an international logistics network supported by the network of the Volvo Group, of which Arquus is a member.