PABRADĖ, Lithuania — French Army artillery units have participated in Exercise Strong Griffin in Lithuania for the first time, marking a significant step in reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank deterrence architecture. The operational milestone saw the Baltic debut of the MEPAC (Mortier Embarqué Pour l’Appui Au Contact), an advanced 120mm mobile mortar system mounted on the Griffon 6×6 armored vehicle platform.
In addition to tactical maneuvers, the deployment featured a joint French-Lithuanian Artillery Systems Cooperation Activities (ASCA) trial. The exercise successfully validated real-time automated data exchange between French and Lithuanian digital command-and-control (C2) artillery networks, eliminating manual fire-direction translation and enabling seamless cross-national target engagement.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: MEPAC (GRIFFON 120MM MORTAR CARRIER)
* Vehicle Platform: Griffon VBMR (Véhicule Blindé Multi-Rôles) 6×6 wheeled armored vehicle
* Primary Armament: Thales 2R2M (Rifled Recoilless Mounted Mortar) 120mm semi-automatic breech-loading system
* Maximum Operational Range: Up to 13 km with rocket-assisted or extended-range munitions (~8.1 km with standard rifled ammunition)
* Fire Rate & Cycle Time: Maximum rate of fire of 10 rounds per minute; features computerized semi-automatic loading and automated aiming systems
* Rapid Engagement Capability: Capable of full “shoot-and-scoot” operations, bringing the system into action, firing a salvo, and stowing the weapon in under 60 seconds to evade counter-battery fire
* C4I & Digital Integration: Fully integrated into the SICS (Système d’Information de Combat SCORPION) battlefield management network and ATLAS fire control system
* ASCA Compatibility: Operates via the international ASCA interface protocol, allowing direct machine-to-machine transmission of tactical fire requests between allied NATO artillery batteries
* Mobility & Armor: Powered by a 400 hp Renault commercial diesel engine delivering top speeds of 90 km/h; armored hull certified to STANAG 4569 Level 4 ballistic and blast protection
