Le Bourget, France — Three of Belgium’s leading defence companies are joining forces to maintain the Belgian Army’s fleet of armoured vehicles over the next three decades, in a landmark cooperation announced at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget on Wednesday.
The proposed contract, estimated at around €100 million, is still pending final approval from the federal government and is expected to be decided by 21 July.
The new alliance comprises FN Browning Group — the parent company of FN Herstal — John Cockerill Defense, and Thales Belgium.
The trio have established a joint venture under the ‘LS2’ (Land Systems Logistic Support) programme to oversee the long-term maintenance and logistical support of hundreds of armoured vehicles set to enter Belgian military service as part of the Motorised Capability project (CaMo).
The vehicles in question include Griffons and Jaguars, advanced models produced by the French defence giant KNDS (formerly Nexter), which form the backbone of the CaMo programme — a bilateral defence initiative agreed between Belgium and France several years ago.
According to defence industry sources, the LS2 consortium will eventually be responsible not just for the CaMo vehicles but for the upkeep of the Belgian Army’s entire fleet of armoured vehicles. The contract would span 30 years and include the possibility of further expansion as the fleet grows.
To support these operations, a major new maintenance facility will be constructed at the Rocourt military base near Liège, which already serves as Belgium’s principal military arsenal.
The hall will enable in-country repair and overhaul of the new armoured vehicles, safeguarding technological know-how and reducing reliance on foreign third parties.
The construction of the new facility will be handled by Jan De Nul, a Flemish company well known for its civil engineering and maritime infrastructure expertise.
The move is expected to generate new employment opportunities within all three partner companies, as well as at Rocourt, where more than 400 military and civilian personnel are already engaged in equipment maintenance.
Although the project has been in development for some time, its implementation hinges on the outcome of a public tender and the recent creation of a formal joint venture between the three companies.
The group has now submitted its proposal, which will be reviewed by the Ministry of Defence and forwarded to the federal cabinet for final decision-making.
When approached at the Paris Air Show, none of the three defence companies opted to comment publicly on the venture, citing confidentiality and the ongoing tender process.
The deal is being seen as a strategic effort to consolidate Belgium’s defence industrial base, enhance military readiness, and deepen Franco-Belgian defence cooperation.
Should it be approved by the July deadline, the LS2 programme could become one of the most significant long-term military-industrial contracts in recent Belgian history.
