French Navy to receive new eyes in the sky from Dassault

[Vergennes]

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has ordered from Dassault Aviation seven maritime surveillance and intervention planes for the French Navy, with an option for five others to be confirmed in 2025. The order, valued at €1.3 billion, will be a breath of fresh air for the French manufacturer in a time of crisis for the aviation industry.

The plane, known as the Albatros, is based on the airframe of a Falcon 2000 business jet, upgraded with an array of special avionics. Among other types of equipment, it is fitted with a maritime surveillance radar developed by Thales, and an optronic detection pod made by Safran. Their intended mission is to counter drug trafficking, piracy, and illegal fishing, as well as assist in search and rescue operations.

“The Falcon 2000 Albatros is a high-performance aircraft equipped with the latest-generation mission and sensor system,” Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation said in a statement. “Several countries are interested in these planes, which constitute an effective response to the considerable challenges of the protection and maritime security of the territory and of State action at sea.” Six Maritime Surveillance Falcon 2000s have already been sold to Japan. Other potential customers include Finland and New Zealand.

The maritime surveillance and intervention planes (AVSIMAR) of the French Navy will replace the aging fleet of militarized Falcon 50 and Falcon 200, which are nearing 40 years of service. The five Falcon 200 Gardian are currently based in the Pacific Ocean, namely in Tahiti, French Polynesia, and Nouméa, New Caledonia, while the eight Falcon 50M are based in Lorient, western France.

The development and production contract should secure 150 jobs in several sites of Dassault Aviation. In October 2020, the manufacturer had already received an order for 12 Rafale fighter jets from the French Ministry of the Armed Forces to replace the second-hand aircraft taken from the French Air Force inventory for the benefit of Greece.

French Navy to receive new eyes in the sky from Dassault

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has ordered from Dassault Aviation seven maritime surveillance and intervention planes for the French Navy, with an option for five others to be confirmed in 2025. The order, valued at €1.3 billion, will be a breath of fresh air for the French manufacturer...

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[Vergennes]

 

[Nilgiri]

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The French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, today announced the upcoming notification of the contract for an initial order for seven “Albatros” Maritime Surveillance and Intervention Aircraft (AVSIMAR) aircraft.

The first Falcon 2000LXS aircraft on which the AVSIMAR is based will be manufactured in France. The remainder 11 will be produced in India as part of the offset arrangements related to the 2016 Rafale fighter jet contract. The conversion of the 12 Falcon 2000LXS aircraft into the Albatros configuration will all be carried out in France, Florence Parly announced in a series of tweets.

Based on the Dassault Aviation Falcon 2000LXS plane the initial order for AVSIMAR aircraft will be delivered from 2025, out of the planned total of 12.

The Falcon 2000 Albatros will feature a multifunction radar under the fuselage, a high-performance optronic turret, observation windows, a SAR (Search & Rescue) kit release system and dedicated communication systems.

In line with the aeronautical maintenance transformation policy initiated by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, the Albatros contract commits Dassault Aviation to a guaranteed availability clause, favoring industrial support in close cooperation with Navy personnel for 10 years.

The Falcon 2000 Albatros is a high-performance aircraft equipped with a mission system and sensors of the latest generation, according to a Dassault release. Said Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. “These aircraft provide homeland protection and maritime security and government action at sea: fighting pollution and trafficking, surveillance of borders and exclusion zones, fisheries policing, search and rescue at sea, etc.”

Ed comment: The manufacture of the Falcon 2000LXS aircraft in India will mark a major gain for the Indian offsets and Make-in-India policy. This will the first time an international company will manufacture the whole aircraft in India for use by the air force of its home country. Eric Trappier also said that a number of countries have shown interest in the Falcon 2000LXS based AVSIMAR aircraft. Should the AVSIMAR be sold internationally, there is a good chance that India's Reliance (which is partnering with Dassault on Rafale offsets) will stand to gain substantially.

@Vergennes