France Commits €12B for Rafale (Standard 5) and UAV NEURON Development in the Next Decade, Adding €1.3B for FCAS by 2026.

France's Defense Program for the next four years (2023-2026) plans to allocate 1.3 billion euros for the Future Air Combat System (FCAS). This investment provides clarity regarding France's continuity in this project, where it collaborates with Germany and Spain as equal partners.

The FCAS, a 6th-generation fighter that will replace Germany and Spain's Eurofighters, as well as France's Rafales, will require a joint investment of 8 billion euros by 2029. Of this amount, France commits 1.3 billion euros until 2026, with an additional 300 million euros budgeted for subsequent stages of the program, totaling 1.65 billion euros.

The majority of these funds (specifically 1 billion euros) will be allocated to Phase 1B of the program, involving three years of work with a total cost of 3 billion euros, to be shared equally among the three partners. This phase will lay the foundation for the second stage of the program, lasting three years, and will conclude in 2029 with the first tests of the next-generation combat aircraft, the central piece of the program, as well as other systems such as remote operators and the combat cloud. Altogether, this represents an anticipated expenditure of 8 billion euros by 2029, to be distributed equally among the three countries.

Additional Investments in the Rafale and UAV Neuron

France's new defense plan for the period 2024 to 2030 includes funding for a new Rafale (Standard 5) and a successor to the Neuron unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This has raised questions about the need for collaboration programs like the FCAS, as France appears capable of independent development, as was the case with the Eurofighter program, from which Paris withdrew to develop the Rafale.

In summary, the French Armed Forces plan to allocate 6.4 billion euros to the Rafale within the 2023-2026 defense program law, with an additional 5.36 billion euros after that period, bringing the total to approximately 12 billion euros for this aircraft over the next decade.

This breakdown reveals that 2.27 billion euros will be directed towards the development and production of the F4 variant of the Rafale. The new budget for the Armed Forces, corresponding to 2024, includes over 200 million euros for the F5 version, capable of operating with unmanned aircraft, aligning with the ongoing development of the UAV Neuron by Dassault Aviation, also the manufacturer of the Rafale. For progress in the Neuron, the new budget anticipates an expenditure of 128 million euros in 2024. The majority of the planned expenses for the Rafale are earmarked for the acquisition of additional aircraft, totaling 8.5 billion euros. In total, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces plans to acquire 55 additional Rafales, aiming to have around 225 units by 2035.

Related:

France, Germany, Spain agree on moving on with FCAS development

France and Germany to fire up stalled FCAS fighter jet project

FCAS Next development phase to be unblocked this month

Spain's Ejército del Aire Eurofighter and nEURON UCAV Dodfight over Gulf of Lyon France

#Eurofighter #Ala11 @EjercitoAire versus nEUROn (drone de combate europeo) sobre el Golfo de León #Francia @AirbusDefence @Dassault_OnAir pic.twitter.com/WKjqJKC6DW

— Ejército del Aire (@EjercitoAire) 12 de noviembre de 2017

Neuron UCAV Completes Combat Capability Tests

The flight test campaign in Italy of the Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) Neuron has been successfully concluded with the achievement of all established goals, thus allowing an important step forward for the program.
The Neuron is the European full-scale technological demonstrator for UCAV developed by an industrial team led by Dassault Aviation with the collaboration of Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi, Saab, Airbus Defence and Space, RUAG and HAI.
The aircraft has been deployed at the Italian Air Force's Decimomannu Air Base, in Sardinia, Italy, where it has fulfilled a series of important operational tests.
In particular, the 12 highly sensitive sorties have allowed to verify the characteristics of Neuron’s combat capability, its low radar-cross section and low infrared signature, during missions flown at different altitudes and flight profiles and against both ground-based and air radar “threats”, using in this latter case, an Eurofighter Typhoon.
During the deployment in Italy the Neuron has confirmed its already ascertained excellent performance and high operational reliability.
defenseworld

Taranis UCAV Set for New Flight Tests

A third and possibly final series of flight tests planned for Britain's Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle demonstrator is planned for later this year.
An industry team led by BAE Systems completed two phases of trial flights at Woomera, Australia, between August 2013 and January 2014, and a third series of test flights is now planned for the end of this year.
The British and French governments signed a US $183.4 million FCAS study last year to investigate the feasibility of jointly building an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV). Each nation additionally injected a further £40 million into national UCAV technology programs.
A consortium of European nations and companies led by Dassault is conducting flying trials on their own demonstrator UCAV known as Neuron.
defensenews

nEUROn UCAV finishes successful test campaign in France

With the completion of its 100th flight in February, the nEUROn UCAV technology demonstrator has completed its test campaign in France.
Throughout this entire campaign, the nEUROn and associated equipment demonstrated exemplary availability and reliability.
In the first phase, the purpose of the tests was to open the flight envelope (including with weapon bay doors open), to test the electro-optical sensor and to evaluate datalink performance.
In the second phase, most flights were dedicated to infrared and electromagnetic signature/detection confrontations against operational systems.
These confrontations, which produced all the expected results, were performed under the authority of the French defense procurement agency DGA. The nEUROn, in full stealth configuration, was operated by Dassault Aviation.
Stealth-related data and feedback will serve as a reference for future aircraft projects.
A new chapter now opens for the nEUROn with evaluations that will take place in Italy, then Sweden.
nEUROn is a European program for an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator, conducted by Dassault Aviation as prime contractor under the authority of French defense procurement agency DGA. It heralds tomorrow’s defense programs, since it federates expertise from across Europe (France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Greece and Switzerland).
dassault-aviation

First nEURON formation Flight

First look at the formation flight of the nEUROn unmanned combat air vehicle with a Rafale fighter and a Falcon 7X business jet.
It’s the first time a combat drone has flown in formation with other aircraft. The flight took place on 20 March 2014 over the Mediterranean ocean. Lasting 1 hour, 50 minutes the flight involved four manned aircraft and the UCAV flying alongside each other in a confined space.
aviationweek

BAE, Dassault Submit Plan To Jointly Develop UCAV

BAE Systems and Dassault Aviation have submitted proposals to the British and French governments to jointly develop an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator, according to the UK Defence Ministry.
The companies recently completed a 15-month preparation phase contract awarded by the two nations’ defense ministries, and have now lodged details of a plan to mature and demonstrate critical technology and operational aspects for a future combat air system.
Britain and France signed a defense treaty in 2010, which included plans to collaborate on a number of equipment programs across missiles, UAVs, maritime equipment and other sectors.
Plans to co-develop a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned surveillance machine have been pretty much sidelined, with the focus instead on building skills and capabilities in the UCAV sector.
The two European nations are examining their options for next-generation combat air systems after the Rafale and Typhoon fighter jets are due to come out of service in the 2030 timeframe.
Both the British and the French are flight-testing technology demonstrator vehicles, but the new proposal foresees eventually building a jointly developed aircraft to assess operational issues.
The British decided to go it alone on their demonstrator, known as Taranis. But the French Neuron program is a collaborative effort that includes Greek, Italian, Spanish, Swiss and Swedish involvement.
On France’s Neuron UCAV technology demonstrator, some 85 flights are planned at the Istres test center in southern France until autumn 2014.
Neuron then will go to the Vidsel test range in Sweden for pre-operational trials, and will later be sent to the Perdadesfogu range in Italy for tests, particularly on firing and stealth assessment.
Neuron restarted test flights at Istres after appearing at the Paris Air Show in June.
defensenews

Photos of nEUROn's first flight

Christina Mackenzie-aviationweek

NEURON completes maiden flight

Europe's stealthy NEURON unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) completed its maiden flight Dec. 1 from the Istres test center in southern France, marking a major milestone for the technology demonstration project and paving the way for flight test campaigns in Italy, Sweden and France.

Led by the French defense armaments agency DGA and Dassault Aviation, nEUROn's objective is to demonstrate both the airworthiness of a stealthy combat air vehicle and the ability to develop, build and flight-test the UCAV in a relatively limited €400-million ($500-million) budget working across six countries with multiple industrial partners.

Launched by DGA in 2006, nEUROn involves the governments of France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Greece and Switzerland. In addition to prime contractor Dassault, the program pools the skills and know-how of Alenia Aermacchi, Saab, EADS-CASA, Helenic Aerospace Industry, Ruag and Thales.

Powered by a Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour engine, the 10-meter-long nEUROn features a wingspan of 12.5 meters and a dry mass of 5,000 kg. The project is designed to address a number of technological challenges, including the aircraft's capacity to carry and deliver weapons from an internal bay. Today, European aircraft are designed with external loading capabilities for bombs and missiles.

Other technological objectives include development of the air vehicle and its innovative composite structure, demonstration of low-observability technologies, use of high-level algorithms for automated processes and
testing the human factor within the mission loop.

“Through these demonstration missions, the goals are to validate technologies around command and control of an unmanned air vehicle of a size similar to a combat aircraft, with all back-up modes insuring necessary safety and security,” Dassault said in a Dec. 1 statement.

The vehicle will continue flight tests in France before moving to operational trials in Sweden in 2014. Additional weapons firing and stealth capability assessments will will take place at the Perdadesfogu range in Italy.

In addition to technology development, nEUROn is designed to demonstrate a leaner decision-making process that aims to eliminate the complexities that have plagued other international collaborations, such as the Eurofighter
Typhoon, where decision-making has been complicated by the large number of companies and government procurement agencies involved. For nEUROn, Dassault coordinates industrial interests and interacts with DGA as the lead armaments agency, which coordinates the governments' collective position.

Dassault's work on nEUROn includes responsibility for integration and the flight control system. Italy's Alenia is producing the “smart” internal weapons bay with an electro-optical/infrared sensor and Saab of Sweden has
built the central and forward fuselage and is working on other components.

EADS-CASA of Spain built the wings and is involved with data-link integration and the ground station, while Hellenic Aerospace Industry is working on the rear fuselage and exhaust duct and Ruag is developing the weapon interface linking the aircraft system to the armaments.

by Amy Svitak-aviationweek

Neuron UCAV 1st flight

The Neuron UCAV has made its first flight in French Istres on Dec. 1.

Neuron UCAV maiden flight

Europe’s unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) stealth technology demonstrator, nEUROn successfully completed its maiden flight from the Dassault Aviation company’s flight test base in Istres, France, on December 1 in collaboration with the flight test personnel of the French DGA defense procurement agency who controlled the air space during the flight test.

The nEUROn program was launched in 2006 by the DGA, and involves France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Greece and Switzerland. It was never intended to become a prototype UCAV but rather a project to maintain a future for aeronautic excellence and know-how in Europe.
With Dassault Aviation as prime contractor, the program was designed to pool the skills and know-how of Alenia Aermacchi (Italy), Saab (Sweden), EADS-CASA (Spain), HAI (Greece), RUAG (Switzerland) and Thales (France).

Christina Mackenzie-aviationweek