The announcement has been made today at a ceremony celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Strategic Air Forces (SAF, Commandement des Forces Aériennes Stratégiques) at the Saint-Dizier air base, in the presence of General Jérôme Bellanger, Chief of Staff of the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace), and Éric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation.
Dassault Aviation has recently been awarded a significant contract to develop a combat drone designed to support the future Rafale F5 fighter jet. The contract, valued at €130 million, will fund the initial design phase of this new UCAV. It is expected that the drone will be based on the NEURON demonstrator but will be larger and heavier to effectively complement the capabilities of the RAFALE F5. The target entry into service is set for the early 2030s.
In a related development, in June 2024, Airbus had unveiled its own combat drone concept, known as WINGMAN. This drone is intended to operate alongside crewed fighters and features internal weapons bays and a stealthy design, with an anticipated entry into service in the 2030s at an estimated cost about one-third that of a crewed fighter.
Although both Airbus and Dassault are pursuing these projects independently, they are also collaborating on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program.
In July 2024, Eric Trappier declared that Dassault’s UCAV would set a different approach in comparison to the one adopted by Airbus for its WINGMAN, unveiled at ILA. In fact, Airbus had indicated that the WINGMAN is expected to augment the Eurofighter TYPHOON’s combat capabilities following a requirement by the German Air Force, but that it will logically be part of the development pathway of remote carriers for FCAS.
Conversely, the new French drone would be something different and exquisitely adapted to the French requirements, that may also include its use onboard aircraft carriers.
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