Overview
- The Interior Ministry is also mobilizing roughly 80,000 police and gendarmes, drones and 10 water‑cannon units for the nationwide protests.
- Weighing 14.5 tonnes and measuring 7.5 meters, the Centaure carries up to 10–12 personnel and features 360° cameras, thermal long‑range optics, shooter‑detection sensors and a grenade‑launch system.
- The platform can be fitted with a remote‑operated 7.62 mm weapon for high‑threat scenarios, which authorities say is not used for crowd control.
- France ordered 90 vehicles in 2021–2022, with reported program costs ranging from about €57.4 million to €70 million, and the Cour des comptes later questioned the fleet’s sizing and practical utility.
- First widely used during the 2023 riots, the vehicle has since backed operations from highway blockades to disaster response, with the fleet split roughly in thirds between the Paris area, regional units and overseas departments.