Germany must to raise its nuclear-deterrence IQ

Sur le même sujet

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  1 février 2022 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR

  Tigre, drones, MGCS, munitions : les priorités capacitaires de l'armée de Terre

  DÉFENSE Tigre, drones, MGCS, munitions : les priorités capacitaires de l'armée de Terre L'armée de Terre se prépare pour être apte à s'engager dans tous les conflits, jusqu'à l'affrontement majeur. Elle travaille ainsi à l'acquisition de nouvelles capacités et à la modernisation de ses systèmes d'armes. « Nous sommes au début de la modernisation du segment médian », souligne le général Hervé Gomart, major général de l'armée de Terre. L'armée de Terre compte sur le respect de la LPM (loi de programmation militaire) 2019-2025, qui prévoit entre 2023 et 2025 l'augmentation des crédits pour les armées de 3 Md€ par an. La France travaille aussi, avec l'Espagne, à la modernisation du Tigre, l'hélicoptère de combat, qui équipe les armées françaises, allemandes et espagnoles. De son côté, le char du futur franco-allemand (MGCS) avance sous les radars. Le CEMAT vient de valider un document de concept exploratoire portant sur l'emploi de ce futur système d'armes franco-allemand (Main Ground Combat System), sur lequel la France attend un retour de la partie allemande. Enfin, l'armée de Terre veut revenir à la pointe en matière de drones : « Toutes les unités doivent savoir se servir d'un drone » pour aller au combat, a expliqué le général Hervé Gomart. L'armée de Terre devrait disposer de 3 000 drones en 2023, dont le drone Patroller (de Safran) qui doit entrer en service cette année. En revanche, elle n'a « pas un stock suffisant de munitions » pour mener un combat de haute intensité dans la durée, a admis le général Gomart. La Tribune du 31 janvier

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  29 janvier 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  US Defense Department launches Gremlins drone from a mothership for the first time

  WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department is one step closer to having swarming drones that it can launch from military planes and recover in midair, having successfully conducted the first flight of the Gremlins aircraft in November. The test, which occurred at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, proved that a C-130A could successfully launch an X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicle, said Tim Keeter, who manages the program for Dynetics. The company won the Gremlins contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in 2018. “It gives us a lot of confidence going forward that this vehicle can fly where it's supposed to fly, how it's supposed to fly,” Keeter said during a Jan. 21 phone call with reporters. “Now the team can be principally focused on the other portion of our program plan ... which is to successfully rendezvous with a C-130, dock with our docking system ... and safely recover the vehicle.” During the test, which lasted 1 hour and 41 minutes, the X-61A flew with no anomalies and the DARPA-Dynetics team completed all test objectives, including transitioning the X-61A from a cold-engine start to stable flight; validating the Gremlins' data links and handing off control of the drone between air and ground control stations; deploying the docking arm; and collecting data on the air vehicle. However, during the recovery process, the drone crashed to the ground and was destroyed. The drogue parachute, which deployed first to slow the air vehicle, functioned as planned, Keeter explained. However, the larger main parachute — which would soften the landing of the air vehicle so that the drone could be reused — did not correctly deploy due to a mechanical issue. Dynetics has built four other Gremlins vehicles, leaving enough drones to accomplish the program's primary requirement to fly and recover four Gremlins in 30 minutes, said Scott Wierzbanowski, DARPA's Gremlins program manager. The next demonstration, set for sometime this spring, will verify whether the Gremlins can be successfully recovered by the C-130 while in flight. Wierzbanowski characterized this test as critical for proving that the Gremlins can be reused over multiple missions — a key point for bearing out the cost-effectiveness of the concept. "If I have an expendable vehicle, at some point I'm not going to want to be able to use those things because they're just too expensive,” he said. “But if I can recover them and then amortize the cost of that vehicle over 10 or 20 or 30 sorties, maybe there's a bend in the curve somewhere that really will allow us to benefit from these smaller, more affordable, attritable systems." During the recovery process, the C-130 will lower a towed capture device that will mate with the Gremlins drone, thus avoiding the turbulence generated by the wake of the larger aircraft, Keeter said. Once the drone is stabilized by the capture device, an engagement arm deploys, docking with the X-61A and bringing it inside the C-130 cargo bay to be stowed. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2020/01/28/us-defense-department-launches-gremlins-drone-from-a-mothership-for-the-first-time/

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  12 février 2024 | International, Aérospatial

  Azerbaijan opens facilities for new Akinci drone

  Azerbaijan has opened a training facility and hanger for a new Akinci drone, confirming the country bought the Turkish-made combat system.