French military developments

Armand2REP

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Good thread, Armand. clap

But could you also give an analysis of these developments from time to time? So, that we can see the broader picture.
What you want to know? Taskforce exercised with Greece to impress them to buy ships and planes. Spanish Harriers land on CdG because we are preparing for Brilliant Mariner in the Atlantique which will be the biggest NATO navale exercise in years.
 

johnee

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Armand, was not referring to anything in specific. If you could add a few lines regarding a specific military development and its place in the broader scheme of things, it would be very enlightening to guys like me. Of course, not every development would deserve a comment, but if a certain development deserves it then would request you to add a few comments. Thanx.
 

nandu

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France orders eight Casa transport aircraft from EADS

France will buy eight Casa CN-235 military transport aircraft from EADS NV at a cost of US$ 301 million.

The Directorate General of Armaments has placed the order to acquire the light-weight cargo planes for the French Air Force.

The contract, awarded to EADS on March 25, 2010, also includes provision of initial support for the aircraft.

The aircraft will be delivered to the Air Force between late 2011 and mid-2013, the French Defence Ministry said.

The Ministry has ordered the Casa planes in the wake of delay in the delivery of Airbus A400M heavy military transport aircraft, it said.

The French Air Force presently has a fleet of 19 Casa CN 235 planes. Besides these, it uses C160 Transall and C130 Hercules planes for transportation purposes.

The Casa CN 235 is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft capable of operating from short and unpaved runways. The aircraft can carry around 6,000 kg freight or 40 passengers.

In service with the French Air Force since 1993, the Casa fleet of planes has been providing logistics services and skydiving operations.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/France-orders-eight-Casa-transport-aircraft-from-EADS/3566/1/11.html
 

Armand2REP

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Launch of the first FREMM Aquitaine

 
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Armand2REP

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DCNS To Finance OPV Gowind, Offer It to French Navy
By PIERRE TRAN
Published: 4 May 2010 13:58


PARIS - DCNS has decided to finance the building of an offshore patrol vessel (OPV) under the Gowind brand name, and has offered to make the craft available to the French Navy as part of its marketing plan, the naval company said May 4.

"One of the keys to winning new business in the corvette/OPV sector is to achieve 'sea-proven' status attested by a world-class navy," the company said in a statement. "Hence, the decision to make the proposed OPV available to the French Navy for three years," the company said.

"An agreement in principle has been reached for the Navy to provide a crew for the OPV," a Navy spokesman said. Discussions are going on with DCNS on the financial details, logistical support and other practical issues.

Construction of the vessel is due to start soon at the Lorient yard, DCNS said. The OPV project is part of the company's project to double sales over the next 10 years.

The new vessel will be 90 meters long, offer three weeks' endurance at sea and have a range of 8,000 nautical miles. The craft would have a top speed of 21 knots, carry a helicopter and a crew of 30, and have room for 30 passengers.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4611122&c=EUR&s=SEA
 
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nandu

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France unveils first FREMM frigate 'Aquitaine'

PARIS : France has officially unveiled its new-generation Aquitaine frigate with President Nikolas Sarkozy honouring the occasion.


French Navy's new Aquitaine frigate. A French Navy Photo

The new vessel for the French Navy was unveiled during a ceremony at the DCNS shipyard in Lorient, France on May 4, 2010.

The multi-mission Aquitaine is the first of 11 new FREMM frigates being built for the French Navy at DCNS's Lorient facility.

DCNS will build the FREMM frigates with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2012 and continue until 2022, the company said.

France had signed a contract for eight FREMM frigates in 2005 followed by another contract for three more such frigates in 2009.

The FREMM family of frigates with technically advanced features is being designed to counter all threats emanating from air, sea or land.

Each vessel will be equipped with naval cruise missiles and MU90 torpedoes with a range of several tens of nautical miles. The sensor suite of the frigate is designed around the Herakles multifunction radar with a range of more than 250 kilometres.

The FREMM programme, led by France in partnership with Italy, is Europe's largest naval programme. Italy plans to acquire ten such frigates and has placed firm orders for six, DCNS said.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/France-unveils-first-FREMM-frigate-Aquitaine/3839/1/11.html
 

Agantrope

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3 French Firms Picked To Lead Scorpion Effort

ARIS - A consortium of Nexter, Thales and Safran appears to have been selected as preferred bidder in a competition for an architect to design the Scorpion transformation program for the French Army, industry sources said.

The trio of French companies has topped the list of bidders, ahead of EADS, which had teamed with SAIC, a U.S. information technology company, and a joint offer from a pair of French high-tech companies, Communication & Systèmes (CS) and Ineo, the sources said. The Direction Générale pour l'Armement (DGA) will negotiate with the preferred bidder, and if an agreement is reached, the government procurement office will appoint the winner.

The appointment of architect is seen as crucial, as the Scorpion system of systems will help define future equipment and maintenance needs.

The selection of the Nexter-Thales-Safran team also raises questions over whether Nexter and Thales will link up as part of a wider industrial consolidation, an industry executive said.

CS Marketing Director Arnaud Salomon said, "If the result is confirmed, it will be a missed opportunity to appoint an independent architect and to manage the program in a different way."

Gen. Elrick Irastorza, the Army's chief of staff, said May 4 that Scorpion will be a "federative program," with a maximum of commonality and a built-in coherence to support the battle group formation.

The program will take an incremental approach and offer a strong potential for evolution, Irastorza said.

DGA Program Manager Thierry Perard told journalists May 4 that the winner of the architect competition would be known by the time the Eurosatory land armaments show opens June 14.

The key ideas behind Scorpion are coherence, optimization and management of complexity, Perard said. The program is not technologically driven and will use "proven technology" in a step-by-step approach, he said.

Under the program, the Army will get heavy and light versions of the Véhicule Blindé Multi-role (VBMR) to replace the workhorse VAB, the Engin Blindé de Reconnaissance et Combat (EBRC) to replace the AMX-10RC and ERC-90, and modernize the Leclerc heavy tank. Other key targets are cutting ownership cost and introducing a single battle management system in place of the existing three C2 networks.

Scorpion aims to bring existing assets into the new systems through standard interfaces.

French vehicle maker Panhard unveiled May 4 its design for the Sphinx light tank, its offer for the EBRC. The Sphinx would carry the 40mm CTAI gun and two launchers for non-line-of-sight missiles on the turret. The budget is estimated at 1 billion euros for 300 units. The first EBRC is due for delivery in 2018.

Panhard is open to international partnerships for marketing the Sphinx, which will appear as a mock-up at Eurosatory. The show runs June 14-18.

On a broader front, the government could use the Scorpion architect competition to force Safran and Thales to come to an agreement on a consolidation of their optronics, navigation and avionics activities, an analyst said.

"In the present context, the government will use the competition as a means of putting pressure on Thales and Safran to agree on an industrial consolidation in the optronics and navigations operations," said Loïc Tribot La Spière, chief executive of think-tank Centre d'Etude de Prospective Stratégique here.

The two companies are deadlocked in talks over Thales' commercial onboard processor business, which Safran sees as vital to boosting its civil aviation equipment business. Thales, however, sees the processors as intrinsically dual-use civil-military and a core activity.

The DGA, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Army are overseeing the Scorpion program, which is budgeted at 5 billion euros ($2.5 billion) through 2020. The total amount is expected to be 10 billion euros by 2030.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4616590&c=EUR&s=LAN
 

nandu

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French Navy receives NH90 NFH naval helicopter


The French Navy has taken delivery of its first NH90 NFH naval helicopter, seen here with its dipping sonar extended during its initial evaluation.

PARIS : The French Navy has received its first NH90 NFH naval helicopter from the NHIndustries (NHI).

The helicopters were recently delivered at Eurocopter's Marignane plant in France, according to the company news release.

The French armed forces have already placed an order for 61 NH90 aircraft among which 27 are the Naval NFH versions and 34 utility transport TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) versions, which are to be followed by a subsequent optional batch of 34 TTH aircraft.

The NH90 NFH variant is primarily designed for autonomous Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti Surface Warfare (ASuW) missions. The comprehensive mission equipment packages allow a wide range of additional missions to be performed including Search and Rescue (SAR), maritime patrol, vertical replenishment, troop transport, medical evacuation and amphibious support roles.

The helicopter is designed for embarked operations to be performed by day and night in adverse weather conditions. Due to its weight and dimensions, the deck-lock system, the deck traversing system and the automatic blade and tail folding system, it can operate from small frigates even in high sea states.

The NH90 is the most successful European helicopter programme ever. A total of 529 firm orders have been placed by 19 armed forces in 14 countries including France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Greece, Spain and Belgium in Europe, as well as Australia, Oman and New Zealand overseas and 46 NH90 helicopters are currently in the military service.

The NH90, developed in the TTH utility transport and NFH naval versions, proves the ideal solution to meet requirements from many potential additional customers worldwide for a large number of missions.

NHI is the prime contractor for design, development, industrialisation, production and logistic support of the NH90 helicopter in all variants.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/French-Navy-receives-NH90-NFH-naval-helicopter/3847/1/10.html
 

Armand2REP

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France Leads the Effort Combating Piracy


[The frigate La Fayette and his Panther helicopter NAVY]


07/05/2010

The frigate La Fayette on Wednesday, intercepted pirates off Somalia. In early afternoon, a maritime patrol aircraft had spotted a mother ship with two skiffs. The French ship at 100nm spotted suspicious vessels, made their way to their position. In their approach, late afternoon, the frigate deployed its Panther helicopter and a boat-type ETRACO to intercept the pirates who tried to flee. They tried to run spreading out the skiffs. The military made a warning shot from the helicopter and then to fire on the engine for neutralization of one of the boats to stop them. The French sailors captured 12 pirates and recovered one of the skiffs, and the arms and a scale used to address the vessels. The other two boats were taken over by boat in this area as part of the European operation Atalanta.

The last weekend, the French ships, including Lafayette, had intercepted a score of pirates. "Since the beginning of the year, the French military and led 9 operations against groups of pirates, intercepted more than 70 of them and neutralized twenty boats, skiffs and motherships," said state- Staff of the Army.

http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=113099
 

nandu

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French Army to get 187 light armoured vehicles

PARIS : French Army will get 187 small protected vehicles (PVPs) from Panhard General Defense.


The PVP light armoured vehicle.

The Directorate General of Armaments placed an order with Panhard on May 7, 2010 to supply the vehicles to the French Army. The deliveries are expected in 2011.

This is the final installment of a total of 933 PVPs the DGA had ordered from the company in 2004. As per the original contract, Panhard was to deliver 200 PVPs to the Army every year starting from 2007 to 2012.

The PVP (petit véhicule protégé) is a light armoured four-wheel vehicle used by the French Army for deployment in long-range patrol missions. Air transportable and highly mobile, the all-terrain vehicle has a weapon self of 7.62 mm and can carry up to four passengers.

The PVP was shown in Lebanon in late 2009 and has been deployed in Afghanistan since February 2010.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/French-Army-to-get-187-light-armoured-vehicles/3881/1/11.html
 

Armand2REP

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France to sell Yemen fighter jets
Posted on: Tue, May 25, 2010

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is said to be showing interest in buying French-made fighter jets, notably the Rafale or the Mirage 2000-9. The following report sheds light on the subject and tells how President is going to finance a deal to buy new fighter jets. It also tells what he is doing to improve his country's armament relations with France.

http://tacticalreport.com/view_news/Yemen:_President_Saleh_Rafale_or_Mirage_2000-9/1215
 

nandu

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France announces success in first naval cruise missile launch


PARIS, June 15 (Xinhua) -- France's defense procurement agency (DGA) announced on Tuesday the success of its first in-flight test of the naval cruise missile (MdCN), saying it illustrated the technical maturity after three years of development of the project.

The DGA Missiles Testing center located in Biscarrosse by the Atlantic coast, in the southwest of France, conducted the launch on May 28, from a vertical launcher representative of a real surface ship system, the military agency said in a statement.

The missile will "provide a deep strike capacity to the French Navy's FREMM multimissions frigates by the end of 2014 and the nuclear-powered attack submarines of Barracuda type by 2017," the DGA said.

With a thousand kilometers class range, the new missile has the ability to strike targets deep into the adversary's territory from a position with security distance in international waters, according to DGA introduction.

In line with the French White Paper on Defense and National Security, the DGA has ordered 200 such missiles, 150 for frigates and 50 for submarines.

The FREMM multipurpose frigate program is a costly joint project by France and Italy. It aims to produce advanced warships for operations in anti-air, anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, and missions of deep strikes against land targets.

The French Navy plans to operate 11 FREMM frigates, and the Italian Navy 10. The first of the frigate is due in service for the French Navy in 2012.


http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-06/16/c_13352135.htm
 

Armand2REP

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Sucessful First Firing of MBDA's SCALP Naval Missile



15:54 GMT, June 15, 2010 The first test firing of the SCALP Naval missile was carried out successfully by the French DGA (Direction Générale de l'Armement) at its Biscarosse test range on 28th May 2010. SCALP Naval is a development for the French Navy's naval cruise missile MdCN (Missile de Croisière Naval) programme.

The firing was carried out using a FREMM frigate configuration from a production series Sylver A70 launcher.

As a result of this successful test, the maturity of the weapon system's definition as well as the technology options selected by MBDA have been validated. Indeed, all phases of the missile's flight proceeded perfectly to plan, from the vertical launch, the separation of the ejectable booster right through to the conclusion of its cruise flight. This first test firing, being representative of a typical mission, has, amongst other benefits, allowed the full flight envelope to be by and large carried out. It has also validated SCALP Naval's interface with the operational Sylver launcher.

The SCALP Naval munition is a development covering two configurations responding to the French Navy's mission needs, comprising a vertical launch variant destined for surface vessels such as the FREMM frigate and a sub-surface / air transition version to arm the nuclear-powered Barracuda attack submarine.

"MdCN is a major programme for MBDA. The total success of this first SCALP Naval firing demonstrates our ability to maintain the highest level of technology as well as a strong industrial base in France, both coming together in response to the country's strategic needs", said Antoine Bouvier, CEO of MBDA.

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/16058/
 

Armand2REP

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DGA delivers 200th VBCI to the Army



The Directorate General for Armaments (DGA) will deliver 23 June 2010 the 200th armored infantry fighting (VBCI) to the Army. Produced by the consortium formed by companies Nexter and Renault Trucks Defense, the VBCI was commissioned by the DGA to 630 copies. The total program VBCI, including the development and industrialization, amounted to 2.86 billion euros.

The first was released VBCI factory in 2008, the last will be delivered by the DGA to the Army in 2015. The VBCI is assembled on the industrial site Nexter Roanne (Loire), due to a hundred copies a year. The program VBCI total of more than 8 million hours to Nexter, Renault Trucks Defense and their subcontractors.

The VBCI is a tank that meets current business needs protection and scalability. Armored Vehicle-terrain 8 wheel drive, the successor to the AMX 10 P, there are command post version (VPC) and infantry combat version (VCI). The VCI version, ordered 520 copies, comes with a 25 mm turret and allows carry 11 soldiers. Vehicle about 30 tons at full load, the VBCI reached a top speed of 100 km / h. It will be air transportable in the future A400M transport aircraft. Truly a "basic life" for the infantryman, the VBCI offers a high level of protection, including an NBC filtration system. It is equipped with armor-resistant medium caliber gunfire and shrapnel. It also offers high protection against mines and improvised explosive devices and has infrared decoys.

The 35th Infantry Regiment (Belfort), the first combat unit equipped with this new tank, will deploy this summer in two sections VBCI Afghanistan.

http://www.defense.gouv.fr/dga/votr.../la_dga_livre_le_200e_vbci_a_l_armee_de_terre
 

Armand2REP

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FELIN at Eurosatory 2010

 
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nandu

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France Seeks US Predator Drones


The French Government is in talks with the US for the possible acquisition of Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.

If signed, the deal will also include possible technology transfers, according to Bloomberg.

The US Air Force uses the Predator as one of three unmanned drone models in Iraq and Afghanistan.

France is considering purchasing the US drones to replace its existing fleet, which has suffered from mechanical problems, according to Bloomberg, citing an October 2009 Le Point magazine report.

http://www.airforce-technology.com/news/news87962.html
 

Armand2REP

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New landing craft for Mistral BPC = L-CAT

Derived from the Landing Catamaran ( L - CAT) CNIM , the first Fast Amphibious Landing Craft ( EDA - R) ordered for the Navy will be built at the yards Socarenam Saint Malo. The site Breton is responsible to assemble the hull, the arming of the device being subsequently made in Boulogne on the Sea, in the main yard of the industry. Designed to replace the landing craft of the French fleet, the EDA - R will be embedded with two units per ship on the buildings projection and command ( BPC ) Mistral type . 8 units will be made.






 

Armand2REP

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L-CAT facts...

http://www.naval-technology.com/contractors/patrol/cnim/

French-based company CNIM is involved in a wide range of activities within the defence industry. For the naval sector, CNIM has designed a new concept of landing craft for LCU, LCT and LST.
L-Cat catamaran landing craft

Combining a catamaran and a mobile platform, the L-Cat associates a deep-sea vessel and a landing craft. She is able to operate in two modes: in cruise mode the L-Cat operates as a catamaran and the mobile platform is lowered. In landing mode the L-Cat operates as a landing craft with the mobile platform and the hulls carrying the ship. She is designed for landing operations from any modern LHD, LPD or LSD.

The L-Cat catamaran landing craft's main characteristics include:

* Speed (empty) of 30kn
* Speed (fully loaded)of 20kn
* Range at 15 kts of 1,000Nm
* Landing: beach gradient ≤2%, wharf ≤1 m
* Fore draft fully loaded 0.60m
* Deadweight overload 130t
* Compatible with any NATO standard well deck up to sea state 4
* Mobile platform dimensions: length 23 m, width 6.9 m
* RoRo

The L-Cat can operate on any sea with or without a harbour. Her versatility makes her suitable for all kinds of disaster relief operations.




[video=google;-6284584423142456438]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6284584423142456438#[/video]
 
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MBDA Completes 4 Successful Aster Missile Firings in Less Than a Month
Demonstrating the Effectiveness of the Aster 30 Missile
Published on ASDNews: Jun 29, 2010



MBDA is pleased to announce the successful completion of a programme of firings to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Aster 30 missile. Over the last month, firings have been carried out from the Italian Orizzonte frigate "Andrea Doria", the French Horizon frigate "Forbin" and the UK trials barge "Longbow" at two different ranges in the Mediterranean. The trials were conducted over a range of scenarios of steadily increasing complexity, culminating in a final trial featuring a salvo firing against a sea skimming target performing a high-g terminal manoeuvre. All the trials were fully successful with both the PAAMS ship equipment and Aster missiles operating as expected in each case. This draws to a close the complex and high intensity investigation launched within MBDA after problems encountered in two firing trials last year.

Antoine Bouvier, Chief Executive Officer, said: "These successful firing trials demonstrate that MBDA has fully mastered the technical issue with the Aster strake that was uncovered last year on recent missile manufacturing. The trials have been completed in support of making sure our domestic customers are in position to deploy the full operational capability of the PAAMS(E) system with the French and Italian navies and the Sea Viper system with the Royal Navy later this year.







http://www.asdnews.com/news/28852/MBDA_Completes_4_Successful_Aster_Missile_Firings_in_Less_Than_a_Month.htm
 

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