The high current price of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is "killing buyers", according to a top official of the DGA, France's defence procurement agency.
Dr Catherine Fargeon told the European Unmanned Vehicles Association's pre-show UAV 2001 Conference that the French Future Medium Altitude Long Endurance programme was being delayed because "the price was too high". But, she says, "we're not giving up, we want to reshape the programme". The 2009 service-entry target date for Future MALE is likely to slip for at least a year.
The DGA is studying a variety of UAVs, according to Dr Fargeon. The DGA director told his UAV experts to "tour Europe 25 times before coming back with a programme."
A number of $40,000 contracts are being awarded to European universities for studies of miniature air vehicles (MAVs), to be carried and launched by a single soldier in urban warfare. And the very-short-range UAV concept has been investigated with the EADS Pointer hand-launched system and the Schiebel Camcopter helicopter UAV.
Solutions
France is procuring "gap-filler" UAVs until purpose-built solutions are available from 2009 onwards. Off-the-shelf products are expected to answer most of these interim requirements, designated SDTI and STDM, according to DGA officials.
The latter is being addressed with a buy of IAI Heron/Eagle 1 MALEs. A request for proposals in response to the SDTI requirement - a slow-flying tactical UAV to replace the French Army's Sagem Crecerelle - has been issued and, say DGA officials, a contract "will be placed soon" for an in-service date in 2003. A contract for an electronic warfare UAV will be let next year.
The French armed forces hope by the end of the decade to have begun acquiring a family of miniature, tactical, naval, Future MALE and high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) systems.
The MCMM multi-role, multi-payload tactical UAV is intended to be in service by 2006-2008. It is hoped to acquire a fast-flying version to take over from the current Bombardier/Dornier CL-289 and a slow-flying version for general surveillance.
Operational
The naval DMT is intended to be operational from the Marine Nationale's new multi-mission frigate from 2010.The HALE will be operated by the French Military Intelligence Directorate from 2012 onwards and could be in the same class as the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk or the product of the USAF's Sensorcraft research into high-altitude UAVs.
According to Dr Fargeon, it is intended to procure a common family of ground stations to save money.
Source: Flight Daily News
