Latest news with #ArmedForcesMinistry
India.com
6 days ago
- Business
- India.com
France to unveil multi-purpose latest version of Rafale fighter jet with ultramodern features, its name..., features include...
New Delhi: France is going to make its Rafale fighter aircraft more powerful. Dassault Aviation, the company that makes Rafale, is working on a new version of the jet. The French Armed Forces Ministry says that the DGA has also completed a major campaign to review the operational capabilities of the new Rafale F4.3. This campaign was conducted at the DGA flight test centre in Istres. This is an important step for Dassault Aviation. What was the RAU review campaign? According to the report, the purpose of the RAU review campaign was to test the Rafale F4.3 for real missions. This test included several missions like air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-sea. These focused on system performance, sensor fusion, weapons integration and improved connectivity. This was a necessary phase to validate technical improvements before the F4.3 configuration. Why is the new Rafale special? Dassault's Rafale is a twin-engine, delta-wing, multi-purpose fighter jet. Rafale is equipped with two Snecma M88-4E engines, which are capable of super cruise. It offers a high thrust-to-weight ratio and strong performance at all altitudes. It is equipped with Thales RBE2-AA AESA radar, SPECTRA electronic warfare suite and OSF infrared search and track system. Rafale has been designed with 70% composite materials to reduce radar and infrared signals. Rafale can carry up to 9.5 tonnes of weapons on a 30 mm GIAT 30 cannon and 14 hardpoints. This includes MICA and Meteor air-to-air missiles, SCALP-EG cruise missiles, Exocet anti-ship missiles and ASMP-A nuclear missiles. What are the features of Rafale Jet 4.3? The new 4.3 standard Rafale has been designed to carry the new generation MICA NG air-to-air missile. The aircraft will be equipped with an advanced SPECTRA self-defence system, contact software radio and TALIOS nacelle. It will be equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. It will also have a self-target identification mode. Rafale F4.3 is capable of assessing the real-time operational capability of onboard systems, tactical communications and sensor suite. Its initial review campaigns will serve as a baseline for the remaining phases and will help move towards full qualification of the Rafale F4.3 standard. This is an important step in France's defence capabilities.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French Navy rams explosive drone boat into cargo vessel in live test
PARIS — France detonated a naval explosive drone against a decommissioned cargo vessel at sea, the latest in a string of live-fire experiments as the French Navy seeks to prepare its ships and crews for high-intensity combat in what the government here calls an increasingly unstable international context. The test explosion on April 26 will allow to France to perfect remotely-operated naval munition systems, including their guidance and pyrotechnics, the Armed Forces Ministry said in an emailed statement. The weaponized unmanned surface vehicle (USV) was deployed by a Navy offshore patrol vessel off the coast of Toulon, the home of France's main naval base. 'The aim of the experiment was to confirm the French Navy's ability to deploy a remotely-operated naval munition from the sea,' the ministry said. 'Given the tougher international context, it now seems appropriate for the French Navy to carry out such experimental campaigns at sea.' USVs packed with explosives have helped Ukraine keep Russia at bay in the Black Sea, with Ukrainian forces using the drones to sink several Russian ships. Militaries around the world have taken note, with Florida-based Maritime Tactical Systems last year unveiling a one-way mission naval drone for the U.S. Navy. In the recent French trial, the target hull was depolluted and stripped of fuels and fluids, the ministry said. The impact zone on the target vessel was protected with metal plates and tires to function as a shield and limit the risk of sinking, though a video of the test blast published by the Navy on X suggested the USV may have missed the metal plates. The naval-drone test follows a live torpedo firing in December, with a French Navy nuclear attack submarine firing a F21 heavy torpedo against the decommissioned aviso Premier-Maître L'Her, breaking the hull of the 80-meter vessel and sinking it. In February, the Navy performed a shock test on the Lafayette-class frigate Courbet, detonating a naval mine near the vessel as it was under sail with its crew.
