EADS confirms imminent transfer of Euromale UAV programme control from French armaments directorate
EADS says administration of the French-initiated Euromale medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned air vehicle programme will transfer from the French armaments directorate to the control of a European co-operation agency within weeks.
Phillipe Coq, EADS Military Aircraft's director of MALE UAV projects, says: "This programme will be transferred within the coming month to a European body."
Coq said transfer options being explored included the European Defence Agency, OCCAR armaments agency, "or maybe a combination of both". Government-level decisions on the transfer are still to be finalised among Euromale partner nations despite the short timescale, but he adds: "EADS is completely pushing in that direction. It is a full European programme, and not a French development programme."
Coq says EADS has also completely restructured its own internal arrangements for managing the project. He confirms all responsibility for the programme was transferred in early April from EADS Defence & Security Systems to EADS Military Aircraft, and not just airframe development aspects as had been believed (Flight International, 26 April–2 May). "It has become evident that it [Euromale] has to be developed in a full aeronautical environment."
Coq also reveals the design process for the UAV assumes customer requirements for aiming the platform.
He says multiple hardpoints are being incorporated into the outboard wing structures with these able to carry weapons, sensor pods or drop tanks.
No specific armament requirements yet exist among Euromale nations, he says, but "if there is an expressed need to put weapons on from governments in the future, we will not need to rebuild the aircraft. That is very clear".
Source: Flight International
