04 October 2022
by Victor Barreira
The first Patroller UAVs are to be delivered to the DGA shortly. (Safran)
The Tactical Drone System (Système de Drone Tactique: SDT) for the French Army is soon to achieve a major milestone with delivery of the first Safran Electronics & Defense Patroller fixed-wing tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the French defence procurement agency (Direction générale de l'armement: DGA).
An initial five UAVs and two ground control stations will be delivered to the DGA in December, the company's press officer, Pascal Debergé, told Janes.
The company was awarded a EUR350 million (USD343 million) contract on 5 April 2016 to supply 14 Patroller UAVs, six ground control stations, and associated training and support to increase the intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability of the 61st Artillery Regiment, replacing the Safran Sperwer UAV.
The Patroller is a medium-altitude, long-endurance platform based on the Stemme ECARYS ES15 utility aircraft that can operate for up to 15 hours at an altitude of 16,000 ft, with a line-of-sight range of 180 km and a maximum speed of 200 km/h.
01 May 2024
by Zach Rosenberg
The first Kaman Kargo in flight-testing at an undisclosed Pennsylvania site. (Kaman)
Kaman's Kargo medium-lift unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been in flight-testing since December 2023, the company's general manager, Romin Dasmalchi, told Janes in advance of Modern Day Marine on 24 April.
The UAV first flew while tethered to the ground for safety reasons. The tether has since been removed, Dasmalchi said, and the first Kargo is free-flying at an undisclosed UAV testing site in Pennsylvania.
Following a flight, Dasmalchi said, “You would make an adjustment – call it a tuning adjustment – and then you fly it for a short period. You give it some inputs manually to see how it handles, then you land and you make adjustments. We probably did hundreds of those evolutions.” The Kargo might undergo 20 to 30 flights per day.
As of 26 April the first Kargo craft had accrued around 50 hours of flight time, Dasmalchi said, and hundreds of ignitions of its Rolls-Royce RR300 engine. Aside from changes to antenna placement, Dasmalchi anticipated no major changes to Kargos in production based on the results of flight-testing to date.
30 April 2024
by Zach Rosenberg
One of four Boeing E-4Bs, which SAOC is intended to replace. (US Air Force)
The US Air Force (USAF) awarded Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) a USD13 billion contract to build the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC), intended to replace the Boeing E-4B Nightwatch as the service's airborne nuclear command-and-control aircraft and primary transport for the secretary of defence. The contract was announced on 26 April, and is set to run through July 2036.
The contract covers ground support systems, including mission trainers, maintenance trainers, and system integration laboratories, among other necessary equipment.
“To satisfy operational requirements, the weapon system will be comprised of a commercial derivative aircraft that will be hardened and modified to meet military requirements,” said the USAF in the contract announcement. “Additionally, the mission system will integrate secure communications and planning capabilities on modern information technology, infrastructure, based on a Modular Open System Approach (MOSA).”
The number and type of aircraft included in the contract are publicly undisclosed, but the USAF currently operates four E-4Bs, which entered service in 1980 according to Janes C4ISR & Mission Systems: Air and are approaching the end of their service lives.
29 April 2024
by Gareth Jennings
A full-scale mock-up of the New Generation Fighter that sits at the core of the FCAS/SCAF project of which Belgium is now an official observer. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)
Belgium has joined France, Germany, and Spain in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Système de Combat Aérien du Futur (SCAF) programme, with the Belgian government saying the country now has observer status.
Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Labour Pierre-Yves Dermagne announced the news in a joint communiqué released on 26 April.
“On 24 April the government obtained observer country status for Belgium as part of the FCAS/SCAF development programme,” the communiqué said.
As detailed in the announcement, the observer country status will afford Belgium access to information on the programme and its development, and will be able to participate in strategic discussions. “This will allow Belgium to get a clear idea of the programme and its implications for the Belgian defence industry,” the ministers said.
The Tactical Drone System (Système de Drone Tactique: SDT) for the French Army is soon to achieve a ...
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