13 octobre 2020 | International, Aérospatial

Défense : des Euroflir 410 pour les gendarmes aussi

Jean-Marc Tanguy

Safran Electronics & Defense va encore allonger la série des ventes de ses boules optroniques Euroflir 410. Cette fois, ce sont les gendarmes qui vont la retenir pour leurs Airbus Helicopters H160.

Boules optroniques sur H160

A défaut de plan de relance, certains industriels français de la défense voient des commandes parfois imprévues tomber. C'est le cas pour Safran Electronics & Defense qui va encore allonger la série des ventes de boules optroniques Euroflir 410 : cette fois, ce sont les gendarmes qui vont la retenir pour leurs dix Airbus Helicopters H160. Un tiers de ces hélicoptères devra être opérationnel avant les JO de Paris en 2024.

L'expérience Wescam

Les gendarmes avaient fait confiance à Safran (Sagem à l'époque) pour leurs premières caméras embarquées, sur Ecureuil, mais leurs performances avaient vite perdu, et le système avait été retiré du service dans les années 2010, avec le matériel de transmission en temps réel afférent. La gendarmerie avait alors reporté son intérêt sur l'Américain Wescam. La boule MX-15 est efficace, mais a connu, en France en tout cas, des difficultés de service après-vente qui ont sans doute pesé lourd dans la balance.

Restent les Fennec de l'Armée de l'Air

Seulement, la préférence nationale post covid-19 y est aussi pour beaucoup, et il devient plus difficile de faire accepter des commandes de produits étrangers quand la France est productrice. Le choix de l'Euroflir 410 s'inscrit après les commandes françaises sur les Panther, puis le système de drone tactique de l'Armée de Terre (dont l'entrée en service est décalée de près de quatre ans/ndlr), puis les Dauphin loués par la Marine (une caméra pour deux hélicoptères), les quatre H160 de la Marine, et donc, désormais, la gendarmerie. La série n'est pas finie, Safran Electronics & Defense ambitionnant aussi de se placer sur les Fennec de l'Armée de l'Air.

Airbus Helicopters Safran Electronics & Defense H160M AS 555 Fennec

https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/dfense-des-euroflir-410-pour-les-gendarmes-aussi-23722

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