France reveals that lost 2 Mirage 2000 and 2 Alpha Jet in January Albacete disaster. 2 Rafale severely damaged as well

The French Air Force lost four combat aircraft as write-offs and a further two as severely damaged as a result of the disaster at Los Llanos/Albacete Air Base in Spain.
The accident, which saw a Hellenic Air Force F-16D Block 50 crash while attempting to take off on 26 January, resulted in the total loss of two Dassault Mirage 2000D fighters and two Alpha Jet trainers. As well, a pair of Dassault Rafale fighters suffered extensive damage.
As well as losing its aircraft, the French Air Force also suffered the loss of nine of its personnel in the accident, which is still being investigated.
janes

Spain: Death count rises to 11 in a Greek F-16 crash at Albacete Air Base

The death toll from the crash of a Greek F-16 fighter jet at a Spanish military base during an elite NATO pilot training program rose to 11 Tuesday after a French airman who suffered serious burns died, Spain's Defense Ministry said.
The death came as Spanish investigators probed what caused the jet to lose thrust during takeoff Monday and crash into five parked planes at the Los Llanos air base in southeastern Spain, triggering a series of explosions and a raging fire.
Two pilots aboard the Greek F-16 were killed along with eight French air force members on the ground and the French airman who died Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement.
By Tuesday afternoon authorities had not retrieved the 10 bodies at the scene because workers were still cleaning up highly toxic fuel at the crash site.
Twenty French and Italian citizens were injured and four remained hospitalized in Madrid undergoing treatment for severe burns.
The Greek F-16 pilots and other military personnel from seven NATO countries were taking part in an annual one-month training exercise called the Tactical Leadership Program.
The NATO countries who sent personnel to this year's program were Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and the United States.
bigstory

France Studies Nuclear Missile Replacement

France has launched studies for an airborne nuclear-tipped missile dubbed ASN4G to replace the current weapon, with the focus on stealth and hypersonic technology on the next-generation atomic arms.
The Air Force flies the Dassault Mirage 2000N and Rafale F3 fighters armed with the air-sol moyenne portée-améliorée (ASMP-A) nuclear missile. These are the airborne systems in addition to the four ballistic nuclear missile submarines.
ASN4G is understood to refer to air-sol nucléaire fourth-generation.
Work began in the summer on the ASMP-A, intended to allow the air-breathing missile to defeat future air defense systems out to 2035.
A stealth study and one on hypersonic speed are underway for the successor to the ASMP-A. The hypersonic weapon might be capable of Mach 7 or 8, he said.
The work on the stealth or hypersonic missile technology will influence development of the future aircraft. For instance, if a hypersonic missile were capable of flying at Mach 7 and were 20 meters long, the aircraft would need to be a large plane, such an Airbus A400M, rather than a fighter such as the Rafale.

Sweden Gripen scrambled after French aircraft entered Swedish airspace

Following unconfirmed reports that a Russian plane entered Swedish airspace on Saturday, the Swedish military has told the aircraft actually came from French Air Force.
"We can confirm that it was a French aircraft and now we have to investigate the details of this".
His comments followed earlier allegations in Sweden's Expressen newspaper that a Russian plane was "a couple of kilometres on the wrong side of the border" but "quickly turned eastward" when a Swedish Jas Gripen plane approached.
Officials in France have yet to comment on the Swedish military's confirmation of a French plane in Swedish airspace.
The claims about a possible Russian violation emerged just a day after Russia's President Vladimir Putin went on German television and insisted that his country had not violated international airspace.
Last month, Swedish intelligence officials released a picture of a Russian jet flying closely beside a Swedish intelligence plane, in what they described as "a growing trend" in international airspace.
The news followed revelations in September that two Russian Su-24 fighter-bombers had been detected flying over Swedish airspace to the south of Öland. The planes were one kilometre inside Swedish territory for about 30 seconds.
Carl Bildt - who was Sweden's foreign minister at the time - described the flights as "the most serious aerial incursion by the Russians during my years as foreign minister".
thelocal.fr

France may station fighter jets in Jordan to strike IS

The French military central command is considering stationing between three and six Mirages in Jordan, military chief of staff spokesperson told the Reuters news agency on Thursday.
Basing the planes there would save money and time, he said, but the idea is just at the study stage and has yet to be discussed with the Jordanian government.
Jordanian officials told Reuters that they had no knowledge of the plan.
France has 700 troops committed to Operation Chammal, which is supporting Iraqi troops in the fight against IS with air strikes but no ground troops.
Nine Rafale fighters, a refuelling aircraft and a maritime patrol plane are currently stationed at the French base of al-Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates and an anti-aircraft frigate is in the Persian Gulf.
France is not carrying out air strikes in against IS in Syria, leaving that task to the US.
english.rfi.fr

French aircraft will begin reconnaissance flights over Iraq

French aircraft will begin reconnaissance flights over Iraq on Monday, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said before a conference bringing together about 30 countries to discuss how to how to cooperate in the fight against Islamic State militants.
"We told the Iraqis we were available and asked them for authorisation (to fly over Iraq)," Fabius told France Inter radio.
The first flights from a French base in Abu Dhabi would begin on Monday
dailymail

France will take part in Iraq military air operation if needed

France said on Wednesday it would take part in military air action against Islamic State militants in Iraq if necessary, but it said any action it takes against the group in Syria would take a different form.
reuters

France scrambled MIrage 2000 after German's wayward flight over nuclear power station

A Mirage 2000 fighter jet was scrambled after a German tourist set off alarm bells after flying his microlight aircraft over two nuclear power stations in the south of France.
The German, who had taken off from Avignon on August 1st for a day’s flying, was forced by authorities to land in the town of Valence escorted by the Mirage 2000.
Security at French nuclear power stations has been repeatedly called into question in recent years. Anti-Nuclear campaigners calling for plants to be closed claiming the poor security makes them an easy terrorist target.
In March this year, around 60 activists from Greenpeace stormed Fessenheim plant - France’s oldest power station to highlight the lack of security and denounce “the risks” taken by France and other countries in Europe by continuing to use nuclear power.
For his part, the German tourist insisted there was nothing sinister behind his flight, telling police that he had flown over the sites by mistake.
He said he flown too low and didn’t look carefully enough at the navigational charts.
He was released after questioning.
However, in May a German doctor was handed a six month suspended sentence after landing his paraglider on the site of the nuclear power plant at Bugey in south eastern France.
thelocal

French airforce contingent arrives in India for 'Garuda-5' exercise

Four French Rafale fighter aircraft and a contingent of about 70 French airforce personnel on Saturday landed at Jodhpur airbase to participate in the 10-day long joint air exercise "Garuda-5".
The air exercise, will kick start at the Jodhpur airbase on June 2.
The two air forces would be engaged in various missions ranging from close combat engagement of large forces, slow mover protection, and protecting and engaging high-value aerial assets in the exercise at the strategic airbase near Indo-Pak border.
The air exercise will include four Rafale multirole fighter aircraft and one air refueler that will participate with IAF's multirole Su-30MKI, four MiG-27 and four MiG-21 aircraft. The chiefs of both air forces will be flying the Rafale and Su-30 MKI.
The objective of the exercise is to acquaint the fighter pilots of the two countries with the fighter tactics of each other, air to air refuelling, cross-servicing of a common type between ground crews and understanding basic concepts of each countries fighter operations.
zeenews

France To Take 2 A330 MRTT Versions

The French Air Force has agreed to take two versions of the A330 MRTT aircraft, with the first type to be equipped with off-the-shelf avionics and refueling system.
France has been cleared to order 12 Airbus A330 MRTT to replace their aging 14-strong fleet of C-135 FR jets.
The service had asked for a cargo door, a specific refueling rig and a satcom datalink, but a lack of funds and a need for early delivery led to an order of two versions of the MRTT aircraft.
The first tranche will be equipped with avionics and a central boom and an underwing drogue and hose system already developed, to be delivered as soon as possible.
A second MRTT version includes the cargo door and a datalink that allows the plane to receive information from the Rafale fighter.
The first aircraft type will later be retrofitted.
The service had asked for a central drogue and hose to be added to the boom system so that its version could be refueled in flight. Those features have been canceled.
Under the 2014-19 multiyear budget law, two MRTT units are to be ordered, with the others to follow.
defensenews

First French AWACS aircraft passes through MLU

The first of four French Air Force Boeing E-3F AWACS) aircraft has passed through its mid-life upgrade (MLU), with the remainder set to follow by the end of 2016.
Boeing and Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) have upgraded the aircraft's electrical, mechanical, and structural systems, and mission hardware, in a process that took eight months. The first MLU-upgraded E-3F will now undergo ground and flight tests at Avord Air Base before being delivered to the French Air Force later in 2014. This first aircraft is serial numbered 202.
Improvements include an enhanced primary AWACS display; an improved identification friend-or-foe (IFF) system; better combat identification capabilities; the Link 16 datalink; improved sensor and datalink integration through the multi-source integration process; an increase in the number of mission console stations from the current 10 to 14; upgraded computer processing equipment and battle-management tools as well as an open-system architecture.
janes

France Eyes King Air, Upgrades for C-130

The French Air Force is eyeing the King Air for ISR missions, while France’s special operations forces are keen to fit mission packages to their Hercules airlifters.
The Air Force is studying the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air as part of its search for a light aircraft to deliver a “development of force”.
Meanwhile, France’s special operations forces are looking to add various capabilities to their 14 Lockheed Martin C-130s, such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), gunship and low-level air-drop.
France is studying bids to upgrade the C-130s’ avionics and cockpits.
The French Air Force is flying MQ-9 Reaper UAVs from Niger to back up special forces in northern Mali.
Today, the French Air Force flies two C-160 Gabriel aircraft for ISR missions..
defensenews

Dassault Aviation ramps up CF-18 replacement pitch

Dassault Aviation is offering to Canada's government its Rafale fighter as the new air force jet.
The offer, includes the unrestricted transfer of technology.
It has been a little over a year since the Conservatives put on hold their plan to buy 65 Lockheed Martin F-35s, and almost two years since the auditor general accused National Defence and Public Works of low-balling the price of the stealth fighters.
The Royal Canadian Air Force's current fleet is due to retire around 2020.
"A decision sooner than later is always better," he said in an interview.
Dassault's pitch could receive a warm reception in light of the Harper government's drive to give Canadian companies some of the billions to be spent on the planes.
The transfer of technology would allow Canada more flexibility to service the aircraft without involving the French parent company. It could be a boon to domestic aerospace firms, especially those that are already making parts for the Rafale fighter.
Dassault's competitors include the F-35, the Boeing Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon. They all offer a certain amount of technology transfer, but Dassault hopes its broad offer will catch the government's attention.
Early in the F-35 program, the issue of how much technology the U.S. was willing to share with its allies became a major sticking point and a barrier to the participation of other countries. Washington further ruffled feathers when it said it would not share the jet's software source codes.
In 2006, the Canadian air force dismissed the Rafale as a CF-18 replacement, citing concerns about the aircraft's ability to operate alongside the Americans, but Robins said the jet flew seamlessly with U.S. fighters during the 2011 Libya bombing campaign.
"It has been proven in war."

cbc.ca

Paveway GBU-50 for Mirage 2000D

Raytheon and the French Air Force completed a demonstration of a penetrator variant of a Paveway GBU-50 from a Mirage 2000D multirole fighter jet. The weapon met all flight objectives and scored a direct hit against a reinforced concrete slab.
Raytheon is committed to delivering GBU-50's French Air Force. Each Enhanced Paveway II guidance and control section is compatible with warheads ranging from the 250 pound MK-81 to the 2,000 pound MK-84 and BLU-109.
The Paveway bomb kit affordably transforms "dumb" bombs into cutting edge precision-guided munitions. The all-weather GBU-50, with its GPS/precision terminal laser guidance is in production with more than 200 units delivered to date.
raytheon

Morocco to acquire surplus French Harfangs UAV

The Royal Moroccan Air Force is evaluating the purchase of additional Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1/Harfang unmanned air systems via France.
A version of the medium-altitude, long-endurance Heron adapted for the French air force, the Harfang is used to perform strategic reconnaissance and tracking missions.
According to foreign sources a Moroccan purchase of three Harfang UAS has been made, with Israeli approval, and additional aircraft could follow. The ties between Morocco and Israel are good, despite the fact that diplomatic relations between the nations were cut in 2000.
It is not clear what payloads will be carried by the UAS Morocco has purchased, but these are likely to be Israeli-produced.
The French air force recently fielded its first two of a planned 12 General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Reaper UAVs, with the aircraft now supporting its military intervention in Mali.
flightglobal

French Air France Conducts First Reaper Flight

The French Air Force Thursday flew a first flight, lasting 40 minutes, of a US-built Reaper surveillance drone based in Niger.
That flight was dubbed Dress Down Six, the flight name used by World War II French pilot and author Antoine Saint-Exupery.
The flight was in a local zone and it was still in the preparation phase of the first operational flight.
France has options to buy 10 additional Reaper units, which the government wants to modify to fit French or European payloads, including sensors and datalink transmission.
The two unarmed French Air Force Reapers, dubbed Block 1, use US equipment.
On the tactical UAV front, Sagem said Jan. 15 that France ordered at the end of December three more Sperwer drones and took options for two more units, to maintain the strength of the present four systems operated by the French Army. A Sagem spokesman declined to give financial details. The order follows acquisition of four units in 2013.
defensenews

France To Upgrade Rafale

France has signed a development and integration contract worth around €1 billion to upgrade the Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter with arms and systems, including a long-range missile, and make improvements on a targeting pod and active electronic radar.
The deal, will raise the Rafale to a new F3-R standard to prepare the Rafale for the environment in 2018.
The program will allow the Rafale to be armed with the MBDA Meteor.
defensenews

Airbus A400M tactical airlifter makes combat debut in Mali

L'Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) has released images showing the Airbus A400M Atlas tactical airlifter during its first combat sortie in support to Operation Serval in Mali.
The Atlas “F-RBAB” carrying 22 tons of material, took off from Orléans-Bricy airbase on Dec. 29 at 10.30 LT and arrived at Bamako, Mali, after 6 hours and 40 minutes. On Dec. 31, the aircraft flew from Bamako to Gao.
The first A400M was taken on charge by the Multinational Entry into Service Team (MEST) at Orléans on Aug. 2, 2013. The first operational mission therefore came only five months after the induction of the aircraft into active service.
Currently, two A400M Atlas are assigned to the MEST. The first operational mission is a step towards the type full operational capability of the type, expected in late 2014.
theaviationist

A400M refuelled in flight for first time

An Airbus Military A400M has received fuel in-flight for the first time, with one of the programme's three development aircraft having achieved the milestone behind a French air force Dassault-Breguet C160 Transall no having problems for the aircraft
This follows an extensive rewriting process, which was initiated following early trials performed behind a Vickers VC10 tanker in 2010.
The process will follow with making contacts behind an RAF A330 Voyager tanker/transport from February 2014 at higher altitudes and faster speeds. Work to also prove the A400M's ability to pass fuel to fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters using under-wing hose and drogue refuelling pods will also be conducted in 2014.
Meanwhile, Airbus Military says it will deliver its third production A400M "before Christmas". Turkish air force aircraft MSN9 is awaiting handover at the airframer's San Pablo final assembly site in Seville.
flightglobal

French To upgrade Rafale to F3-R Standard

A research and development deal is due soon as part of an announced upgrade of the Rafale fighter to F3-R standard, including a new-generation laser targeting pod.
The DGA signed with Thales at the end of December a contract for derisking work on a new-generation laser targeting pod. The electronics company supplies the Damocles infrared pod that fits on the Rafale and Mirage 2000D.
The government plans a major R&D effort for programs set out in the 2014-19 multiyear budget law.
Those other programs include the Scorpion project for modernizing Army kit, an underwater drone to replace the Navy’s minehunter ships, Musis spy satellite to replace the Helios 2 system, and cooperation on the Italian Cosmo-Skymed and German SAR Lupe satellite programs.
defensenews