In a press release from AB Volvo on January 15, the Volvo Group announced that they have signed an option agreement with John Cockerill Defense, granting the Volvo Group the right to sell Arquus after mandatory consultations with employee representatives.

Arquus manufactures and sells specially designed vehicles to defense forces and has approximately 1,200 employees in France. In 2022, Arquus accounted for about 1 percent of the Volvo Group's revenue, according to Volvo.

According to DI, sales to defense forces consist of three of the Volvo Group's companies: Volvo Defense, Mack Defense, and Arquus, which was formerly known as Renault Trucks Defense.

The Volvo Group has previously attempted, unsuccessfully, to sell the business and halted attempts in October 2017. The company changed its name in May 2018 from Renault Truck Defense to Arquus.

The Belgian company John Cockerill refers to Arquus as France's leading supplier of military vehicles in a press release issued on January 15 regarding the initiation of negotiations. The company expects that John Cockerill Defense and Arquus will jointly generate over one billion euros annually by 2026 after consolidations.

According to defense news site Breaking Defense, France and Belgium have signed a defense partnership agreement concerning motorized capability. The agreement is intended to ensure that the countries have the same equipment and similar doctrines. Part of this agreement is Belgium's acquisition of various vehicles, including the Archer competitor Caesar.

France and Belgium signed a defense partnership agreement known as CaMo (capacité motorisée or motorized capability) aimed at ensuring the two countries armies have the same equipment and similar doctrines. As part of this agreement, Belgium is acquiring 382 Griffons, 60 Jaguars and 28 Caesar truck-mounted artillery systems.

Last month, Arquus, KNDS France, and John Cockerill signed an agreement to jointly develop a light armored vehicle for France and Belgium. According to Breaking Defense, approximately 2,000 vehicles will be built, with over 1,500 for France and the rest for Belgium.

Last month, Arquus and KNDS France (formerly known as Nexter) together with John Cockerill, were contracted to start a €15 million ($16.3 million) development program for a light, multi-role armored vehicle program known as VBAE (véhicle blindé d’aide à l’engagement) to complement the other CaMo vehicles. Some 2,000 VBAEs will be built, of which France will buy 1,440 and Belgium the others.