The French Army has displayed a self-propelled mortar system variant of its Griffon 6×6 multi-role armored vehicle, four months after the artillery’s final tests at the Canjuers military camp.
Called the Griffon On-Board Mortar for Contact Support (MEPAC), the platform was first presented to the public at this year’s Bastille Day military parade in Paris.
Images captured by Army Recognition show that the hull’s main armament is a 120-millimeter semi-automatic mortar, replacing the service’s aging MO-120-RT towed mortar with an armored vehicle for enhanced mobility and deployment.
The report stated that the weapon is integrated with the military’s Scorpion digital ecosystem, which unifies command and control across its ground fleet.
Griffon MEPAC’s mounted 120-millimeter mortar has a standard rate of 10 rounds per minute, can engage targets at approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles), and use both conventional and smart munitions. It also features specialized shell storage to reduce reliance on external resupply.
According to the outlet, these features provide indirect fire support in expeditionary or dispersed tasks while sustaining lethality against adversaries and ensuring crew safety, a significant improvement over legacy mortar systems.
The Griffon MEPAC
The Griffon MEPAC is a 25-ton (50,000-pound) vehicle manned by a crew of four.
Alongside its mortar, the platform utilizes a remotely operated turret equipped with a 7.62-millimeter machine gun for sustained firepower, as well as the Atlas automated artillery joint fire support network system for coordinated strikes.
It is equipped with NATO-standard armor, a 400-horsepower six-cylinder turbodiesel engine, and a seven-speed automatic transmission.
The vehicle has an operational range of 800 kilometers (497 miles) and a maximum speed of 90 kilometers (56 miles) per hour.
In 2023, France received its 500th Griffon unit as part of the country’s $1.35-billion ground combat modernization program.
Paris accepted its first 54 Griffons in the MEPAC variant in January 2025.
