National Guard eyes Jaguar armour as pressure mounts for Israeli Merkava tanks

Local DefenceEuropean UnionIsraelnational guardTop News National Guard eyes Jaguar armour as pressure mounts for Israeli Merkava tanks Jaguar 1536x823 Relevant News National Guard eyes Jaguar armour as pressure mounts for Israeli Merkava tanks 10 August 2026 Storms from Dolphin soak China’s east, ground nearly 950 Shanghai flights 10 August 2026 Things to do on Monday, August 10 10 August 2026 newsroom 10 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Nicosia wants to make full use of the financial opportunities offered by the EU’s SAFE regulation to boost the National Guard’s deterrent capability, drawing on the borrowing tool the European Union offers member states for defence spending. Sources tell philenews that several contracts have already progressed and will soon enter the National Guard’s arsenal, covering smaller equipment programmes such as unmanned aircraft and other systems with short production times. For larger equipment, namely armoured vehicles, these programmes are estimated to begin being implemented from 2028 onward, due to heavy demand in the global arms market. Within this framework, Nicosia’s planning to strengthen the National Guard’s armoured units and capabilities includes the advanced EBRC Jaguar armoured combat vehicle. The vehicle is built by KNDS France (formerly Nexter Systems), Arquus and Thales, and is built for a wide range of combat roles in modern warfare. It is a modern 6×6 vehicle, designed under the SCORPION programme to modernise France’s land forces, intended to gradually replace the older AMX-10RC and ERC-90 Sagaie vehicles. It can operate in open terrain as well as in urban or mountainous areas, and carries a crew of three. Its main feature is considerable firepower compared with other vehicles in its class. It is equipped with a 40mm CT40 cannon, a remote-controlled 7.62mm machine gun, and an Akeron MP anti-tank missile launcher, with two missiles ready to fire and two more in reserve. The cannon can use different types of ammunition, including armour-piercing, high-explosive and programmable airburst rounds. Philenews has learned that if Nicosia acquires these vehicles, it will not use them to replace other vehicles the National Guard holds in large numbers, but will instead add them to the force as a supplementary capability. The French army currently has just 128 EBRC Jaguar vehicles, with 30 more expected within 2026. For comparison, Belgium has ordered 60 units and Luxembourg 38, while Ireland has also ordered an unspecified number. It is worth noting that Cyprus has a tradition of French-origin armoured equipment, and its choice of the French market is no coincidence. French wheeled APCs for the National Guard As philenews revealed in a report last December, the Ministry of Defence’s list includes two options for wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs), both from French industry. According to a report by La Tribune last March, Nicosia is considering the purchase of around 80 Griffon and around 100 Serval vehicles from KNDS France, with some of them potentially carrying MBDA’s Akeron MP anti-tank missiles. La Tribune also reported that discussions are under way with French company Arquus on upgrading around 80 VAB armoured vehicles from the National Guard’s existing fleet. Pressure mounts over Merkava tanks The decision on upgrading and modernising Cyprus’s armoured forces has been significantly delayed. Cyprus needs a new main battle tank to replace the role of the Russian T-80s, whose maintenance has become particularly costly and inefficient. Nicosia appears to have long since settled on its target: Israel’s Merkava tanks (Mk3 or Mk4). Reports indicate that pressure is being applied on Tel Aviv to agree to hand over a sizeable number of these vehicles to the National Guard. According to philenews’s information, opinions within the Israeli government are divided on this matter. Some voices support handing Merkava tanks over to Cyprus, while other circles want the vehicles to remain available to the IDF for Israeli reserves. If achieved, this purchase would be funded from the Ministry of Defence’s equipment spending budget. The vehicle is considered suitable for the National Guard because of the similarity between Cyprus’s and Israel’s terrain, while the proximity of the manufacturing country is another important factor, since it would ease logistical support for these vehicles. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Storms from Dolphin soak China’s east, ground nearly 950 Shanghai flights Things to do on Monday, August 10 39C heat and afternoon cloud to grip Cyprus this week Makarios Drousiotis appeals for public help: ‘I’ve fought many battles… this is the hardest’ Traditional Bull Race of Bengal, India How much will the sale of the GSI and an imminent NAVTEX notice affect the Cyprus problem? And yet they’re desperate to be in government by 2028 Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.