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    French Drones/UCAV Thread

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    Post  Admin Tue Jul 06, 2010 3:38 am

    Major projects of France in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles

    France has long been the subject of unmanned aerial vehicles ( UAVs) and to date has created a few dozen drones of different types and classes . Meanwhile , the French UAVs are not distinguished by reliability , and is often criticized for this as their armed forces and foreign , but work on an unmanned topics do not stop, and in some sense the situation emerging in France, with the development of UAVs, like the situation in this area in Russia .

    Tactical UAV

    UAV Sperwer, created by Sagem , together with Dassault, resembles its predecessor Crecerelle, but it has large dimensions : flight mass unit increased to 330 kg (against 115 kg), and wing span - up to 4,2 m (against 3,3 m ) . The system is designed to meet the challenges intelligence , surveillance and targeting , but the duration of the flight is only 6:00 , which , as noted by some experts , not so much for the spy plane . So , for example , the American Shadow 200 can stay aloft for up to nine hours , and larger Shadow 600 - 12 . Probably , the reason for the low performance UAV Sperwer - in its inefficient aerodynamic configuration .

    In the basic configuration Sperwer includes three UAVs , ground control station , a pneumatic catapult on the chassis of 10- ton truck , as well as receiving station for data posted on -road vehicles . The system can be transported on two planes of class C-130 and operated with the unequipped position.

    In 2003 Sperwer launched by the armed forces the Army of France, including in March 2006 it is used in Afghanistan. The complex is supplied and for export , but the experience of its use was controversial. For example, in 2003, Canada bought six sets Sperwer ( worth 33 million dollars ) , and in February 2006 began to exploit them as part of its contingent in Afghanistan. However, in the spring of that year it became known that during one of the operations due to technical problems Canadians have lost a drone. Speaking about the shortcomings of the complex , the military , including the high level of noise generated by cylinder engine Bombardier-Rotax 562UL. Because of him in Afghanistan Sperwer even earned the nickname " lawn " . In summer 2007 , Canada replaced the Sperwer on unmanned systems a large class of Heron development of the Israeli company Israel Aerospace Industries.

    Technical problems forced to renounce the use of UAVs Sperwer and Denmark . In 2006 it was decided to withdraw these complexes from the armed forces of Denmark and sell them abroad at a price ten times less than the purchase price . If their purchase cost the Danes in 73 million dollars , then they were sold for just $ 7 million that the cheaper cost of resource components comprising the complexes . The Minister of Defence of Denmark Soren Geyd made quite sharp statement , calling the actual characteristics of these complexes was worse than reported by French side , complexes themselves "unreliable " and technical problems with them " intractable " .

    Apparently , problems have arisen and from the Dutch military. In the spring of 2009 it was reported that they stopped using UAVs Sperwer and rented Israeli complexes . A year earlier , in April 2008 , in the Netherlands were conducted experimental flights to explore the possibilities of Sperwer civilian missions .

    In the development of the project developed a modernized version of Sagem Sperwer B with a larger wingspan , increased duration of the flight (from 6 to 12 hours, according to other sources - up to 20 hours ) and a payload ( from 37 to 100 kg). Sperwer In addition to intelligence , may perform and shock problem . For this purpose it is equipped with two underwing hard points payload capacity of 30 kg each, which can be mounted antitank missiles Rafael Spike LR or a system of precision weapons on the basis of homing submunition from the 155- mm cassette shell BONUS joint BAE Systems Bofors ( Sweden) and Nexter ( France ). Test Series UAV Sperwer B was successfully held in 2006 on the basis of the Arctic Test Center unmanned company Robonic in Kemijärvi ( Finland).

    Tactical UAV Short Range Tracker, known in France under the name DRAC (Drone de Renseignement Au Contact), was developed by the Survey Copter on outsourcing group EADS, which acted as system integrator. Takeoff weight apparatus is only 8,2 kg . The entire complex in the transport position takes two backpack , which makes it applicable to the problems of intelligence work " over the hill " . The system allows not only to conduct surveys in the area day and night , but to analyze the received images , detect , identify and follow different objectives . The maximum flight UAVs - about two hours, the range of - 10 km.

    The basic package includes two UAVs , compact control station and antenna system for automatic tracking . The first 25 complexes of the French Defense Ministry had purchased in July 2008 In January 2010 there were reports of supplying the French army an additional 35 systems, DRAC, adapted for use in mountainous terrain , and in May 2010 - on the order before the 50 systems . These UAVs are already being applied by French troops in Afghanistan. EADS proposes UAVs for export , saying the sale is a single buyer , but the specific foreign customers are not yet identified.

    Medium- UAV

    Medium- UAVs have several advantages compared with the tactical UAVs . In addition to longer range and duration of flight, the main one being - increased medium- size devices, which allow you to set them greater range of sensors and weapons.

    In this class in France are two basic models: UAV Eagle 1 and Eagle 2, received a generic term Harfang ( formerly SIDM). These projects are based on the Israeli Heron UAVs and Heron TP company Israel Aerospace Industries. The first has a maximum takeoff weight of 1200 kg , of which 250 kg of payload. The device can stay aloft for up to 30 hours, working at a distance of up to 1700 km. The range of the UAV Eagle 2 ( weight 2900 kg ) increased to 2900 km . The maximum duration of flight - 24 hours .

    First flight of UAVs Harfang held in September 2006 and June 2008 were completed testing. In February 2009, UAV Harfang French air force made its first flight in Afghanistan . But in October the same year there were reports that France plans to acquire for $ 100 million complex of two U.S. unmanned General Atomics MQ- 9 Reaper, including four drones and two ground control stations . This should be done urgently requested , since two of the three UAVs Harfang, used by the French in Afghanistan , in need of repair . Journalists , in turn , did not fail to mention the fact that France is leading a lot of programs UAVs can obtain for themselves a lot of useful , having studied the American drones in action.

    However, perhaps these plans were only plans. No information on procurement French Reaper UAV could not be found . In contrast , in late 2009, it was announced that the French Defense Ministry has ordered a fourth and a third Harfang UAV ground control station worth 34 million euros. Ordered systems should be put in the summer of 2010 , primarily intended to use them for training operators of UAVs.

    In France, work is underway and other unmanned systems, medium- class . One is a drone Talarion, development of which began under the aegis of EADS in 2009, France also participate in the project as Germany and Spain . The cost of creating Talarion estimated at 1.5 billion euros , taking into account built 15 units for the three countries. France and Germany should get six UAVs , and Spain - three . According to plans of EADS, Talarion must make its first flight in 2013, predicts the General Directorate of the French armament (DGA) first Talarion drones will do to the troops in the years 2018-2020 .

    Layout UAV Talarion became one of the high-profile Premier salon in Le Bourget in 2009, however, novelty may face funding problems . According to EADS CEO Louis Galois (Louis Gallois), the concern will be to finance the program only until mid- 2010 then the turn of the main investors - the governments of France , Germany and Spain , but they have not yet given any response.

    At the same airshow was first exhibited UAV Patroller, which first flew just before the opening of the exhibition. UAVs developed by Sagem , together with the German firm Stemme, which is engaged in designing motor gliders . Patroller is based on motor gliders Stemme S10-VT and can stay aloft for more than 30 hours , bringing on board a payload of up to 250 kg . Interestingly, the Russian company Irkut also used the powered glider as a platform for its UAVs Irkut -850 . Moreover , according to representatives of Irkut , this apparatus is already in use Russian Emergency Ministry . The idea of creating a large UAV flight duration on the existing airframe as a whole rather tempting . However, it has its caveats . Glider is not easy to handle , but unmanned , this problem only becomes more complicated .

    Impact UAV Neuron

    Project Impact Neuron UAV was launched by Dassault in 2003 was expected to create nearly invisible strike aircraft, capable of a high degree of autonomy to carry out combat missions , in particular, to destroy enemy targets . Neuron UAV was to encompass the most advanced European developments in the field of materials , aviamotorostroeniya , avionics and microelectronics, artificial intelligence systems , equipped with the most technologically advanced weaponry .

    In 2005, the program joined the Swedish Saab AB and the Italian Alenia Aeronautica. Both companies have experience in the field of unmanned systems , including combat UAVs. For example, in Sweden, designed and was tested an experimental UAV Saab Filur, and in Italy - UAV Sky-X. In 2006, the countries participating in the project Neuron joined by Spain , Greece and Switzerland.

    Neuron UAV resembles American drone strike X-45C and X-47B ( made on a " flying wing ", in order to reduce radar visibility - without the vertical and horizontal tail ), but somewhat less of them - its maximum takeoff weight of leaves about 6 m ( against nearly 20 tons of X-47B and 16,5 tons of UAV Phantom Ray, produced by Boeing in the development of the project X-45C). Apparently , Neuron is a kind of " response " of Europe on the development of the United States .

    Neuron project is estimated at 405 million euros . Of this amount, we know that France allocates half - 202.5 million euros. Sweden 's contribution is estimated at 75 million euros , of which 66 million euros gives the company Saab. Another 35.5 million euros from 2007 to 2012 to invest in the project , Spain . Information on the investments in Italy , Greece and Switzerland in the open press no. As expected , the cost of one copy Neuron UAV must reach 25 million euros . First flight of Neuron was originally scheduled for 2009, then postponed to 2011 and is now scheduled for March 2012

    Unmanned helicopters

    The largest of the French unmanned helicopters - Orca 1200, full-size mock-up which was first shown at Le Bourget in 2003 - created concern EADS on the basis of a light piston helicopter piloted Guimbal Cabri G2. UAV is designed for maritime reconnaissance and surveillance for up to eight hours . For this purpose it is equipped with systems payload total weight of 180 kg. According to the vice -president of EADS Patrick Oswald , the company deliberately decided to develop UAVs smaller in size than the American Helicopter UAV Northrop Grumman MQ- 8 Fire Scout ( take-off mass of 680 kg against 1200 kg ), because the smaller size UAVs will significantly increase the number of ships, from the board which it can be used . The market in Europe and Asia value the company at 500-1000 systems . But the project apparently quite expensive and complicated . Despite the rapid start , no data on his fate in the available sources could not be found .

    In 2007, EADS submitted a helicopter UAV close- Shark ( the first flight took place in June of that year ). This device is similar in its dimensions Camcopter S100 Austrian company Schiebel - maximum takeoff weight of the apparatus is 190 kg including 60 kg payload - but unlike the latter developed by co-axial circuit. The device can carry out aerial surveillance for up to four hours, give indication , to assess the damage inflicted on the enemy . To do this, Shark can be equipped with optical- electronic and infrared equipment , as well as a miniature airborne synthetic aperture radar . In addition , UAVs can be used to perform civilian tasks , such as for monitoring of industrial facilities, oil and gas pipelines , etc. However, this is all about potential applications . Information as to the practical application of this complex also could not be found .

    Mentioned in connection with participation in the development of mini- UAV Tracker Survey Copter company also participated in the creation of light helicopter UAVs . According to information available from the planned line of three helicopters are now ready to the first two devices - Copter 1 and 1b. Work on the senior drone series Copter 4 has not yet been completed . First-born son are fairly small size - the maximum takeoff weight of about 15 kg, of which approximately 5 kg is reserved for the payload. The range of the drones - 5 km . The third series of the UAV will be slightly larger - maximum takeoff weight of about 30 kg . UAVs will be able to fly at a distance of up to 8 km from the station management . The EADS is promoting complex created on the basis of these UAVs under the names of Scorpio Scorpio 6 and 30. All the drones can be used both in military and civilian purposes . It may be a military intelligence " over the hill " in the interests of small units , and the use of such structures as police and security services .

    Almost like in Russia

    A closer study of the situation in terms of development and use of UAV systems in France, she recalled a picture that is emerging in this respect in Russia . In France , as in our country:

       * developed dozens of projects UAVs, but only a small part of their military use . Maximum attention to the military of both countries are paying a tactical UAV class ;
       * Development of helicopter UAV is moving rather slowly, as companies attempt to convince the military of the need to fund the programs until you find the response ;
       * within the subject matter is unmanned cooperation with Israel . However , in this respect the French have shown great foresight , not limiting the purchase of UAVs , as a joint venture for the localization of the Israeli systems;
       * indicated interest in establishing long-term impact drone , whose development in both countries is far from being " full swing " .


    However, France is part of the UAV systems is a step ahead of Russia . There are a number of reasons , but the main advantage of France, in our view, provided the experience that have been purchased by the French military and civil services in the real operation of unmanned systems (not only French ). This experience allows us to eliminate errors and create a vision for further development , and this experience so do not have enough Russian developers .

    Denis FEDUTINOV - editor of an Internet portal UAV.RU
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    Post  Admin Tue Jul 06, 2010 3:39 am

    Sperwer Mk II

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    Post  Admin Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:08 pm

    Sagem reveals new Patroller UAV variants
    By Craig Hoyle

    Sagem's Patroller unmanned air vehicle has completed its latest series of flight tests, which it says proved the design can meet a projected mission endurance of 20-30h.

    The French company has meanwhile outlined its vision for a product range including three versions of the medium-altitude, long-endurance type. These could be available for around €20-30 million ($25-38 million) per system, depending on configuration, with each to comprise three air vehicles and one ground control station.

    First deliveries could be made within 12-18 months of a contract award for the 1t-class development of the Stemme S-15, it says. "We can offer flights for possible customers now," it adds.

    French Drones/UCAV Thread GetAsset

    © Sagem

    In addition to the Patroller R surveillance platform already tested, Sagem is offering the aircraft in maritime surveillance and homeland security variants, respectively designated as the Patroller M and S.

    Conducted from the French air force's Istres flight test centre between 26 May and 2 July, the recent fourth campaign included 10 qualification flights with a pilot on board, followed by five conducted in UAV mode. Sorties averaged 2.5h in length, but Sagem says fuel consumption was compliant with, or exceeded its 30h endurance goal.

    Capable of carrying a 250kg (550lb) payload, including a maximum 80kg under each wing, the Patroller R can carry or auxiliary fuel tanks, or potentially Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles or laser-guided rockets, Sagem says.

    http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/07/15/344401/sagem-reveals-new-patroller-uav-variants.html
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    Post  Admin Wed Nov 24, 2010 9:48 am

    Video of French made UAVs

    Patroller MALE UAV




    Sperwer Mk2 tactical UAV




    Micro UAV DRAC


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    Post  Russian Patriot Wed Nov 24, 2010 10:09 pm

    Man , it would be great if our airforce buys a few of Sagem's stuff!
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    Post  Admin Wed Nov 24, 2010 10:33 pm

    Russian Patriot wrote:Man , it would be great if our airforce buys a few of Sagem's stuff!

    MoD said we would cooperate with France on UAVs if we buy Mistral. Kazakhstan and Ukraine have already signed MoU with Sagem for production of UAVs. It looks like there is finally a competitor to Israel that doesn't require strings attached.
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    Post  KRON1 Fri Nov 26, 2010 8:59 pm

    Vladimir79 wrote:Video of French made UAVs

    Patroller MALE UAV




    The Sagem Patroller is a big step up for France from the Sperwer. It is better than an MQ-1 Predator. It isn't quite as capable as the Heron TP that they bought from Israel. But French payloads are every bit as good as Israeli, probably better. France and Israel has yet to get anything in the MQ-9 Reaper class. France probably wants to buy it so they can rip off the features. It is rather ironic that shortly after they started operating the Israeli drone, they come up with their own MALE. At the very least they want the operational experience to build their own.
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    Post  Admin Fri Nov 26, 2010 11:51 pm

    KRON1 wrote:

    The Sagem Patroller is a big step up for France from the Sperwer. It is better than an MQ-1 Predator. It isn't quite as capable as the Heron TP that they bought from Israel. But French payloads are every bit as good as Israeli, probably better. France and Israel has yet to get anything in the MQ-9 Reaper class. France probably wants to buy it so they can rip off the features. It is rather ironic that shortly after they started operating the Israeli drone, they come up with their own MALE. At the very least they want the operational experience to build their own.

    Where is France ripping off the Heron TP? The Patroller is based on a German glider turned into a UAV by Sagem. They have the technology to equip any air vehicle into a top line UAV, what they don't have are the airframes. Why bother designing a new one when you can buy one for a few hundred thousand euros? The value in these are not the airframe, but the equipment installed on it. Irkut has done the same thing with the 850 model with buying an Austrian glider, only problem is the payloads weigh far more, inferior optics, and no auto-landing. Also imported components do not allow for service into the Army.

    http://www.irkut.com/common/video.php?fname=Irkut-850.wmv
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    Post  KRON1 Sat Nov 27, 2010 9:22 am

    Vladimir79 wrote:

    Where is France ripping off the Heron TP? The Patroller is based on a German glider turned into a UAV by Sagem. They have the technology to equip any air vehicle into a top line UAV, what they don't have are the airframes. Why bother designing a new one when you can buy one for a few hundred thousand euros? The value in these are not the airframe, but the equipment installed on it. Irkut has done the same thing with the 850 model with buying an Austrian glider, only problem is the payloads weigh far more, inferior optics, and no auto-landing. Also imported components do not allow for service into the Army.

    http://www.irkut.com/common/video.php?fname=Irkut-850.wmv

    I didn't say they are ripping it off. The Harfeng is integrated by EADS France. What they did do is take the automatic landing systems from it and perfect it in the Patroller UAV. Don't you think it is odd that they only buy one UAS of it and one year later, Patroller is in full operation? They won't be buying anymore drones from Israel. France reverse engineers subsystems too. They don't Xerox it like China, but they get what is difficult to make out of it to reduce development. They only buy 76 Javeline launchers, and a few years from now they will come out with MMP/MLP. Coincidence? They want to buy MQ-9 Reapers for Afghanistan but they will be leaving by the time they get it. Coincidence? No, they want to learn from it to develop Talarion and Neuron UAVs.
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    Post  IronsightSniper Sat Nov 27, 2010 9:37 am

    I'm not even sure there are any operation UCAVs out there that are on par with the MQ-9, but the Ruskies have already made parity with the MQ-1 with the Dozer-600. Not long until they get an operational UCAV with 1 tonne+ payload capacity and thousands of km of range. Sensors and avionics are a different story, however. cheers
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    Post  Admin Sat Nov 27, 2010 9:40 am

    I didn't say they are ripping it off. The Harfeng is integrated by EADS France. What they did do is take the automatic landing systems from it and perfect it in the Patroller UAV. Don't you think it is odd that they only buy one UAS of it and one year later, Patroller is in full operation? They won't be buying anymore drones from Israel. France reverse engineers subsystems too. They don't Xerox it like China, but they get what is difficult to make out of it to reduce development. They only buy 76 Javeline launchers, and a few years from now they will come out with MMP/MLP. Coincidence? They want to buy MQ-9 Reapers for Afghanistan but they will be leaving by the time they get it. Coincidence? No, they want to learn from it to develop Talarion and Neuron UAVs.

    So what is wrong taking apart a piece of foreign kit to see how it works? There is nothing French MIC makes that breaks IP rights of another company that I know of. China copies every damn thing we sell them. Not much we can do about it since the UN doesn't listen to copyright infringement for weapon systems. I am sure we are tearing some of that French kit apart to see how it works too. If buying foreign UAVs helps them develop their own, we do the same thing buying Israeli. Only difference is France has access to the latest while we get 15 year old junk.
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    Post  KRON1 Sat Nov 27, 2010 9:57 am

    IronsightSniper wrote:I'm not even sure there are any operation UCAVs out there that are on par with the MQ-9, but the Ruskies have already made parity with the MQ-1 with the Dozer-600. Not long until they get an operational UCAV with 1 tonne+ payload capacity and thousands of km of range. Sensors and avionics are a different story, however. cheers

    Nothing competes with the MQ-9, closest thing is the Hermes 1500 but is more in the class of the Sagem Patroller. If France gets their grubby fingers on it, the Talarion UAV will be flying in no time and it will have a competition.

    The Dozor-600 has been suspended last I heard.

    The company has put on hold its Dozor-600 operations, he said.

    “This is because the Russian Defense Ministry is not funding the research and development, and the cost of completing and testing “Dozor- 600″ is too high for the company,” Voronov said.

    http://www.russiandefenseblog.org/?p=1345


    The Dozor-600 uses the same Austrian engine as the MQ-1, so securing its supply can be tricky. They didn't want to induct Irkut-850 for the same reason.
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    Post  KRON1 Sat Nov 27, 2010 10:04 am

    Vladimir79 wrote:

    So what is wrong taking apart a piece of foreign kit to see how it works? There is nothing French MIC makes that breaks IP rights of another company that I know of. China copies every damn thing we sell them. Not much we can do about it since the UN doesn't listen to copyright infringement for weapon systems. I am sure we are tearing some of that French kit apart to see how it works too. If buying foreign UAVs helps them develop their own, we do the same thing buying Israeli. Only difference is France has access to the latest while we get 15 year old junk.

    For the US, it means we are selling kit to our competitors which we know are just going to use it against us. Much like your relationship with China. It pisses you off, just like the French piss me off.
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    Post  Admin Sat Nov 27, 2010 10:12 am

    KRON1 wrote:

    For the US, it means we are selling kit to our competitors which we know are just going to use it against us. Much like your relationship with China. It pisses you off, just like the French piss me off.

    That is two totally different things man. The French might review something you got, but they don't copy it. They make their own. The Chinese on the other hand, XEROX copy our equipment. If the Leclerc was a carbon copy of the M1A1, you might have something to be mad at. But nothing the French make are just like yours. The Chinese take the license production shop we set up for them and steal the Su-27 and try to market it as J-11B. Now that would piss anyone off.
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    French Drones/UCAV Thread Empty Dassault nEUROn Stealth UCAV

    Post  Admin Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:35 am

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    Post  GarryB Sat Jan 21, 2012 10:41 am

    They haven't even done the flight testing?

    I know some likely to call stealthy UCAVs 6th gen fighters, but considering the risk of capture as shown in Iran recently, I would think Europe would have invested in a new manned Stealth fighter of their own.

    So far the only times drones have come up against manned aircraft they have come off second best, whether it is Mig-29s or Mig-25s, and US drones or Georgian controlled Israeli drones.

    The claims they can perform missions human pilots normally perform have yet to be proven.

    I rather suspect that to give the drone anywhere near the capability of a manned aircraft its costs will be comparable but its loss rates will be much higher.
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    Post  Admin Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:05 pm

    Flight testing will begin in a few months with a 2 year testing programme.

    No one is calling this 6th gen fighter, it is a strike bomber. The capture of the RQ-170 is not a mystery, why Obama didn't blow it up is.

    No stealth drones have been shot down, the loss in Iran was a malfunction.

    US drones have been performing those missions for years.

    NEURON will cost €25 million, a whole unit can be bought for the price of one F-35. The RQ-170 has been flying over Iran for years and it wasn't even shot down. Flying at night I really doubt if one will ever be. The threat is someone hijacking your network.
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    Post  GarryB Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:24 pm

    Don't get me wrong, I don't think they are worthless, but I just don't see them as real replacements for manned aircraft.

    Flying over Iran is one thing, flying over countries with better sensors is something else.

    The amount of datalink traffic to support these drones and also the traffic from the drones delivering intel in real time via video... the datalink emissions alone will reveal their position to any aircraft with sensors in that frequency range... perhaps if Putin lifts the export ban to Iran they might finally decide to replace all those old F-14s with a large batch of Su-35s with L band wing mounted AESA radars...

    BTW when they took the covers off I immediately thought of the Mig SKAT.

    It would have been more impressive if they had a wire metal structure under the cover to hide the actual shape of the UCAV till the cover was removed.
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    Post  TR1 Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:33 am

    Attacking The Beast in Iran would have turned the situation into as shitstorm.
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    Post  GarryB Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:43 am

    The US use of stealth aircraft over Iran violates international law...

    I hope the Iranians have an auction for the stealth drone with the highest bidder obilged to team up with Iran to develop copies of the system for mass production in Iran and the auction winning country and to use them in country first for training air defence forces in dealing with stealth systems.

    Then they could publish full plans for the drones on the internet for everyone to copy... Smile
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    Post  George1 Fri Jan 30, 2015 12:25 pm

    France looks to deter UAV flights over nuclear sites
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    French Drones/UCAV Thread Empty Re: French Drones/UCAV Thread

    Post  George1 Mon Sep 14, 2015 2:20 pm

    Two Competitors Remain to Supply France with UAV

    Paris — Systems company Thales and Safran’s Sagem defense unit are competing to supply a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle for the French Army, as competitors Airbus and Israel Aerospace Industries are no longer in the tender, website La Tribune reported.

    Thales has pitched Watchkeeper, a UAV built in a joint venture with Elbit, while Sagem has offered the Patroller, a drone based on a Stemme airframe.

    “We are in the competition,” a Thales spokeswoman said Sept. 10.

    Sagem was not immediately available for comment.

    The two companies submitted their best and final offers Sept. 4 to the Direction Générale de l’Armement, with the procurement office expected to award the contract for 14 units at the end of the year after a decision by the ministerial investment committee, La Tribune reported.

    The DGA declined comment.

    The French Army is keen to find quickly a tactical drone to replace the Sagem Sperwer, an interim UAV.

    IAI Europe confirmed it was not going ahead in the competition. The company was ready to work as a partner to the prime contractor, which “could reduce cost, cut lead time and improve performance,” said Daniel Abehsera, managing director of IAI Europe.

    Airbus Defence & Space declined comment. The Airbus unit announced last year at the Eurosatory trade show it had teamed as prime contractor with Textron to offer the Shadow tactical drone.

    Sagem at the Eurosatory trade show last year highlighted the importance of national sovereignty as there would be French control if the Patroller UAV were picked, and France would not rely on US clearance for technology or authorization by foreign authorities.

    There is perceived political significance in UAVs, as the operators seek a national control of the key elements of image, audio and data transfer, encryption, and arming the aircraft, an industry executive said.

    That national sovereignty issue requires foreign firms to sign up with domestic partners with the right technological capability to take on the prime contractorship, the executive said.

    A French Army artillery unit has trained on a Watchkeeper sent over from Britain. Thales unveiled with local partner WB Electronics its offer of an armed version of Watchkeeper to Poland at the MSPO trade show.

    A French order of Watchkeeper has been seen as a counterpart to a potential British order of the Nexter VBCI combat and infantry vehicle.

    Thales developed the Watchkeeper based on the Elbit Hermes 450 and has delivered the UAV to the British Army. Thales and Elbit formed a UK joint venture respectively owned 49-51 percent.

    Sagem has signed a collaborative agreement with Mexican partner Seguritech for joint development of systems including drones in Mexico, the French firm said at the Paris airshow.

    Sagem flew the Patroller in the skies over Toulouse, southwest France, last October and November, showing its compliance with European civil aviation rules. That exercise showed the UAV could meet civil and security as well as military needs, the company said.

    http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2015/09/10/two-competitors-remain-supply-french-uav/72009014/

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