On May 7, 2025, the French company Arquus announced during the DEFEA 2025 defence exhibition in Athens a contract to deliver 12 Sherpa Station Wagon armored vehicles to the Republic of Cyprus. These vehicles will be equipped with MBDA’s Akeron MP missile system. The agreement, formalized between France’s Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and the Cypriot Ministry of Defence, is part of a bilateral partnership aimed at enhancing cooperation in the field of land defence systems. Arquus will be responsible for both vehicle delivery and integration of the Akeron missile onto the Sherpa platform. This delivery follows previous French-Cypriot discussions initiated during a meeting between President Níkos Christodoulídis and President Emmanuel Macron.
During DEFEA, a Cypriot Ministry of Defence delegation led by Permanent Secretary Anna Aristotelous and National Director of Armament Panayiotis Symeou visited the Arquus stand, where they were received by Arquus CEO Emmanuel Levacher. The vehicle exhibited was configured with both MBDA’s Akeron MP missile and Hornet Remote-Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS). This contract represents the first confirmed instance of the Sherpa-Akeron configuration ordered for operational use by Cyprus. According to statements made during DEFEA, Arquus considers this agreement as the first step toward further bilateral programs between the company and the Cypriot Ministry of Defence, including the potential modernization of existing vehicle fleets.