Dassault Aviation has announced the launch of a new unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) programme as part of the future Rafale F5 standard. The announcement was made by Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, on Oct. 8 during a ceremony at the Saint-Dizier air base to mark the 60th anniversary of the French Strategic Air Forces (FAS). The event also marked the 90th anniversary of the French Air and Space Force.
Photo: Dassault
The UCAV is expected to enter service after 2030 and will complement the Rafale in collaborative combat. Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Éric Trappier believes the UCAV will contribute to the technological and operational superiority of the French Air Force by 2033. He also stated that the Rafale F5 combined with the UCAV and their evolutions will ensure France’s independence and capability superiority in the coming decades.
The UCAV will be highly versatile and designed to evolve in line with future threats. It will incorporate stealth technologies, autonomous control (with human oversight), internal payload capacity, and more.
The project will benefit from the achievements of the nEUROn programme, Europe’s first stealth UCAV demonstrator, which was initiated in 2003. The nEUROn programme brought together aeronautics resources from six European countries and was managed by Dassault Aviation. The nEUROn completed its maiden flight in December 2012 and has conducted more than 170 test flights to date.
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