One of the world’s largest heavy-duty vehicle companies is moving forward by producing a new crew-cab pickup truck to support anti-aircraft and drone defense systems.
Scania says it will deliver 50 of the Vampire all-terrain vehicles to the French military in 2026, with the vehicle’s weapon system specifically designed to combat low-flying targets and unmanned aerial vehicles – better known as drones.
While details are still sketchy, the Vampire is believed to be powered by Scania’s 13-litre turbodiesel six-cylinder engine, producing around 343kW of power and no less than 2500Nm of torque.
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The engine, usually found in prime movers and buses, was combined with an all-wheel drive system in the Vampire to ensure maximum off-road traction.
With the project dating back to 2023, the Scania Vampire was created in response to a tender from the French Army, which called for a maneuverable and air-transportable four-wheel drive vehicle capable of accommodating four soldiers.
It is not the first time that the Swedish truck giant has produced an off-road vehicle for military service: the Scania VRP was developed to support French special forces.
While it’s unlikely that a civilian version of the Vampire will ever enter production, other military models – such as the Mercedes-Benz Unimog – have variants available to the public.
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