History
The Sherpa 2/3 was officially unveiled to the public at Eurosatory 2006 in Paris. [6] [7] with first production models made in 2007. [3] [8] In 2010, it changed the name from Sherpa 2 and 3 to Light. [9] [10]
The Sherpa Light was shown in Asia in the BRIDEX 2011 convention alongside the VAB Mk II in Brunei on July 28, 2011. [11]
On October 26, 2011, Pindad showed off an Indonesian-made version of the Sherpa known as the Elang during a public exhibition event. [12]
Mack Defense unveiled the Mack Sherpa Light Scout for the first time at the 2014 Association of the United States Army AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition (AUSA) event in Washington DC. [13] In 2017, Mack promoted the Sherpa Special Forces variant at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, Florida. [14]
In April 2014, Avibras has entered the TUPI to be assessed at the Brazilian Army Assessments Center (CAEx). [15] [16] Based on the Sherpa Light Scout chassis under cooperation between Avibras and Renault, [17] it is meant to be marketed to the Brazilian Army for a new Wheeled Multirole Light Armored Vehicle under the Viatura Blindada Multitarefa - Leve de Rodas (VBMT - LR; Lightweight Wheeled Multirole Protected Vehicle) program against the Iveco LMV with a contract decision before the end of 2015. [18] [19]
In 2015, MACK-made Sherpas were presented to the National Guard of Ukraine for potential purchases and evaluation. [20]
In 2016, requirements from French Special Operations Command resulted in the development of the Poids Lourd Forces Spéciales for rapid response operations. [21] The PLFS was first shown at the Eurosatory 2016 exhibit on June 13, 2016. [22] It was officially certified by the Direction générale de l'armement on January 31, 2017. [23] In Brazil, the TUPI lost a potential contract for the Brazilian Army's VBMT-LR program when the Brazilian Army announced on April 14, 2016, that the Iveco LMV will be selected as the new 4x4 vehicle, [24] followed by another announcement on September 1, 2016, that 1,464 LMVs will be purchased instead. [25]
After RTD was rebranded as Arquus on May 24, 2018, [26] research and development continued on the Sherpa, which led to the creation of the Sabre [27] as its first Arquus-branded product when it was unveiled at the 2019 Special Forces at the Defense Exhibition (SOFINS) exhibit. [10] Field tests were conducted with an MMP missile fired from the Sabre under the direction of the Direction Générale de l’Armement as of February 2021. [28]
On May 19, 2020, Arquus announced the successful production of the 1000th Sherpa Light vehicle. [29]
At the EDEX 2021 convention, it was announced that Arquus will collaborate with the Egyptian Ministry of Defence Vehicle Department – Engineering Industrial Complex. [30] The chassis is provided by Arquus. [31]
On September 22, 2021, Arquus has offered to work with Romania in manufacturing the Sherpa Light under license under a proposal for greater French-Romanian defense cooperation. [32]
It was reported in SOFINS 2023 that the 25 Sabres used by French special forces from 2017 gave unsatisfactory results in road handling and stability, so they were returned to Arquuus. [33] All of them were retrofitted on feedback. [33]
A Sherpa APC was on display at MILIPOL 2023 on November 15, 2023, in use with the BRI. [34]
