Sherpa Light

The Sherpa 2/3 was officially unveiled to the public at Eurosatory 2006 in Paris.[5][6] with first production models made in 2007.[7][8] In 2010, it changed the name from Sherpa 2 and 3 to Light.[9][10]

The Sherpa Light was shown in Asia in the BRIDEX 2011 convention alongside the VAB Mk II in Brunei on July 28, 2011.[11]

In October 26, 2011, Pindad showed off an Indonesian-made version of the Sherpa known as the Elang during a public exhibition event.[12] The vehicle was made in limited quantities and only used by the 201st/202nd/203rd Mechanized Infantry Battalions of the Indonesian Army.[12][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][23] The PLFS was first shown at the Eurosatory 2016 exhibit on June 13, 2016.[24] It was officially certified by the Direction générale de l'armement on January 31, 2017.[25] 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,[26] followed by another announcement on September 1, 2016 that 1,464 LMVs will be purchased instead.[27]

After RTD was rebranded as Arquus on May 24, 2018,[28] research and development continued on the Sherpa, which led to the creation of the Sabre[29] as its first Arquus-branded product when it was unveiled at the 2019 Special Forces at the Defense Exhibition (SOFINS) exhibit.[30]

On May 19, 2020, Arquus announced the successful production of the 1000th Sherpa Light vehicle.[31]

Map of Renault Sherpa 2 operators in blue

•  Australia: Corrections Victoria Security and Emergency Services Group (SESG) use two Mack badged vehicles for high risk prisoner transport that can accommodate up to four prisoners.[49][50] The vehicles were manufactured in Australia under Volvo according to CV requirements with a contract of $AUD 900,000 for one van.[51]
•  Brazil: Three Sherpa Light APCs in service with the Federal Police of Brazil for BRL5 million.[52][53]
•  Chile: Used by Carabineros de Chile's GOPES, first purchased in 2014.[54]
•  Egypt: Sherpa Scout/Light Station Wagon used by both the Egyptian Army and the National Police forces, received in 2012.[53][55] As of 2013, all vehicles are already in operational service.[56]
•  France: GIGN is equipped with Sherpa APCs equipped with assault ladders with 2008 vehicles in service under Gendarmerie Nationale.[53][57] French special forces equipped with the PLFS – Poids Lourd des Forces Spéciales, based on the Sherpa 2 chassis.[58] 202 PLFS vehicles first ordered in 2015.[25]
•  India: National Security Guard[59] and Central Industrial Security Force.[60]
•  Indonesia: 12 Light Scouts,[61] 6 Armored Light Scouts,[62] and several Weapon System Carrier/Station Wagon variants for MBDA MPCV System.[63] It was reported in 2011 that Renault collaborated with PT Pindad to manufacture some of the Sherpas for the Indonesian military.[53]
•  Kuwait: 240 Sherpas sold to Kuwait National Guard in 2015.[53][64] Sherpa Scouts sold to the Kuwaiti military in 2016 under a €270 m contract.[53]
•  Kosovo[32]
•  Lebanon: Internal Security Forces[65]
•  Mexico: The MACK Sherpa Scout is used by the Mexican Naval Infantry.[66][67] It was first unveiled to the public in 2016, part of a purchase made in 2014.[68] 15 MACK Sherpa Scouts are to be deployed with Mexican Navy forces stationed in Tamaulipas, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa and the Mexican-Guatemalan land border.[68] The vehicles will also be used by the Mexican Navy's Unidad de Operaciones Especiaes (Special Operations Unit) and the 27th Infantry Battalion.[69]
•  Morocco: In June 2020, Morocco had a contract with Arquus for 36 Sherpas in Light Scout and APC configurations for Moroccan special forces units.[70]
•  Qatar: In 2011, an order was made for five Sherpa Light APCs for the Internal Security Forces.[71] Another order for five more Sherpa Lights made in 2013.[53]
•  Saudi Arabia: Pressed 100 Sherpa Light vehicles into service in 2014, which was part of a $USD3 billion contract in military aid to Lebanon.[53]

• The Renault Sherpa should not be confused with the Leyland Sherpa — see LDV Pilot.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Renault Sherpa.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mack Sherpa.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pindad Elang.

• Renault Sherpa 2 at the Wayback Machine (archived 2008-10-14)
• Renault Sherpa 3A at the Wayback Machine (archived 2009-04-16)