Gourt Home::Gourt :: GIAT Industries
GIAT Industries (formerly known as Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre, Army's Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapon manufacturer.
It manufactures various weapons and other hardware for the French and foreign military, including:
- the FAMAS assault rifle,
- the FRF2 sniper rifle
- the Leclerc main battle tank.
- the VAB armoured personnel carrier
- the 20mm modèle F2 gun
- the APILAS anti-tank grenade launcher
- the LG1 Mark II 105 mm towed howitzer
The group was founded in 1973 by combining the industrial assets of the technical direction of Army weapons of the French Ministry of Defense. In 1991, it was turned into a national company.
Ever since it was founded, GIAT's management has been difficult. The company was operated at a loss, and a 2001 report by the Cour des Comptes described the situation as critical. Not until April of 2004 did the board of directors present the public with a financial statement showing a turn over of several hundred million Euros. This was mostly thanks to increased export sales, the modernization of the LeClerc main battle tank and several other armored platforms.
References
- Cour des Comptes, Les industries d'armement de l'État, chapter 3, 2001
External links
"GIAT Industries"