Dassault Aviation is delighted by the decision announced Friday by the President of the French Republic, François Hollande, and the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, concerning the future combat air system.

This decision led to the signing by the French Defense Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and his counterpart, of a letter of intent which formalizes the launch of joint feasibility studies in the field of Unmanned Combat Air Systems (UCAS). This is a major step forward in Franco-British military aeronautical cooperation.

This decision, which follows on from the Lancaster House Treaties (November 2010), gives a new dimension to the joint studies already undertaken in this field: Dassault Aviation and BAE Systems, as leaders of the project, have worked, together with their partners Safran, Rolls-Royce, Thales and Selex, to ensure the success of this ambitious R&T program.
 
This decision also bolsters the national investments made in recent years, notably in the nEUROn combat UAV demonstrator.
 
As leader of the French team, Dassault Aviation has always supported its Government’s efforts to launch an ambitious Franco-British program, designed to lay the foundations for the future European fighter aircraft.

For Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, “this launch by the French and British authorities is contributing to the development of the combat air systems sector and is paving the way for the future in this strategic field.”

In France, this work will help maintain technological expertise in defense aeronautics at a world-class level. It will eventually benefit the entire industrial fabric, including SMEs.



Caption: nEUROn combat UAV demonstrator with Rafale fighter; Copyright: © Dassault Aviation - Alex Paringaux