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. [8] [9] In 2010, it changed the name from Sherpa 2 and 3 to Light. [10] [11]
The Sherpa Light was shown in Asia in the BRIDEX 2011 convention alongside the VAB Mk II in Brunei on July 28, 2011. [12]
On October 26, 2011, Pindad showed off an Indonesian-made version of the Sherpa known as the Elang during a public exhibition event. [13]
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. [14] In 2017, Mack promoted the Sherpa Special Forces variant at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, Florida. [15]
In April 2014, Avibras has entered the TUPI to be assessed at the Brazilian Army Assessments Center (CAEx). [16] [17] Based on the Sherpa Light Scout chassis under cooperation between Avibras and Renault, [18] 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. [19] [20]
In 2015, MACK-made Sherpas were presented to the National Guard of Ukraine for potential purchases and evaluation. [21]
In 2016, requirements from French Special Operations Command resulted in the development of the Poids Lourd Forces Spéciales for rapid response operations. [22] The PLFS was first shown at the Eurosatory 2016 exhibit on June 13, 2016. [23] It was officially certified by the Direction générale de l'armement on January 31, 2017. [24] 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, [25] followed by another announcement on September 1, 2016 that 1,464 LMVs will be purchased instead. [26]
After RTD was rebranded as Arquus on May 24, 2018, [27] research and development continued on the Sherpa, which led to the creation of the Sabre [28] as its first Arquus-branded product when it was unveiled at the 2019 Special Forces at the Defense Exhibition (SOFINS) exhibit. [11] 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. [29]
On May 19, 2020, Arquus announced the successful production of the 1000th Sherpa Light vehicle. [30]
At the EDEX 2021 convention, it was announced that Arquus will collaborate with the Egyptian Ministry of Defence Vehicle Department – Engineering Industrial Complex. [31] The chassis is provided by Arquus. [32]
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. [33]
It was reported in SOFINS 2023 that the 25 Sabres used by French special forces from 2017 were given unsatisfactory results in road handling and stability, so they were returned back to Arquuus. [34] All of them were retrofitted back on feedback. [34]
A Sherpa APC was on display at MILIPOL 2023 on November 15, 2023 in use with the BRI. [35]
