ECA GROUP awarded two new contracts for ground robots, for more than €3 million – first successes for the CAMELEON LG robot in Canada and France

Monday, September 30 2019

ECA GROUP recently won two contracts to supply its new-generation ground robots, CAMELEON LG, to the Armed Forces of Canada and France.

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The first contract was awarded in France as part of SCORPION land vehicle acquisition program, which aims to modernize the capabilities of ground troops in collaborative combat. After conducting technical and operational assessments via three different bodies (DGA TT, STAT and SIMMT) , the DGA (French Defence Procurement Agency) placed an order for 56 robots with NEXTER Group. As a part of this order, ECA GROUP will supply 38 CAMELEON LG robots, launched in early 2019.

The first batches will be delivered in June 2020, and the delivery will be completed in early 2021. This new order indicates renewed confidence following the contract of more than €30 million announced in early 2018 for the delivery of more than 50 IGUANA robots as part of the French SMINEX program (see press release dated 1/10/2018).

Over the last six years, Canada has been using the COBRA MK2 mini ground robots produced by ECA Group. After assessing the technical and operational performance of several competitors, Canada also chose the CAMELEON LG for its mine-clearance missions. Alongside NEXTER, ECA GROUP will supply the Canadian Department of National defense and Canadian Armed Forces with nine of these unmanned ground vehicles ( UGVs), and 4 as an option. The first delivery is scheduled for April 2020.

ECA GROUP is currently competing in several other calls for tender in Europe and Asia, which could represent attractive prospects for its ground robotics business.

About Cameleon LG

The CAMELEON LG is a UGV ( Unmanned Ground Vehicle) developed based on the CAMELEON platform in 2018 and marketed in early 2019.

This new-generation robot benefits from ECA GROUP's more than 15 years of expertise in UGVs. It meets the new operational needs of military and security units, which require lightweight, compact and particularly resistant equipment. Lightweight (12 kg) but versatile (payload of 15 kg), the CAMELEON LG robot can be equipped with a manipulator arm (lifting capacity of 4.5 kg) or sensors (laser range finder, radiological sensor, chemical sensor, thermal camera, etc. ) to meet the needs of the mission (mine clearance, reconnaissance) with a radius of action up to 500 meters and a capacity to climb 45-degrees slopes. Resistant (IP65) to dust, water and shocks it can be thrown during its deployment to limit the vulnerability of the operator or to reach inaccessible places such as windows, balconies, low walls, terraces, caves, cliffs, etc. This resistance is also an asset during its transport, the CAMELEON LG can be loaded in all types of military vehicles without any storage box. Operational in only 3 minutes, the deployment of the CAMELEON LG is simple and fast meeting all responsiveness needs of a tactical mission.