One of the world’s largest heavy commercial truck companies is moving down in the world, with a new dual-cab pickup being manufactured to support anti-aircraft and anti-drone systems.

Scania says it will supply 50 of the off-road Vampire vehicles for the French military in 2026, with the vehicle’s weapon system specifically designed to target low-flying targets and unmanned aerial vehicles – better known as drones.

While details remain thin, it’s believed the Vampire will be powered by Scania’s 13-litre turbo-diesel six-cylinder engine, making approximately 343kW of power and no less than 2500Nm of torque.

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Typically found in prime movers and buses, the engine has been mated to a four-wheel-drive system in the Vampire for 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 manoeuvrable and air-transportable four-wheel-drive vehicle that could accommodate four soldiers.

It’s not the first time the Swedish truck giant has made an off-road vehicle for military service, with the Scania VRP created to support French special forces.

While it’s unlikely that a civilian version of the Vampire will ever make it into production, other military-derived models – such as the Mercedes-Benz Unimog – do include variants available to the public.

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