Phoenix ASMPA Renovated, ASN4G, SAF tomorrow
ASMP-A missile from a Rafale B Strategic Air Forces © Cosmao
With the arrival of ASMPA in 2009 (on Mirage 2000N) and Rafale F3 in 2010, the Strategic Air Forces (SAF) have already received a major upgrade in recent years. This effort will continue as a re Afirme yesterday the Minister of Defence Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian .
This has once again announced the next order of A330MRTT "the contract MRTT has successfully passed the final stages of its administrative instruction, and therefore has the necessary arrangements for the notification (...) The contract is going to start,. and the first of twelve aircraft scheduled to be delivered in 2018, according to the LPM. "
The device is highly anticipated, the fleet of KC-135 tankers being out of breath, most devices have been approved in 1964. The aircraft will be named "Phoenix" in the Air Force.
The modernization of FAS will also involve upgrading the ASMPA MBDA. The stage of development of the ASMPA the renovation program was launched this summer. This is not new, but the confirmation of an expected program.
The DGA and the French Air Force also study solutions for the replacement of the missile through the ASN4G program. According to the minister of defense, this system will be "bold" design and several technologies including stealth and hyper-velocity are studied.
L'ASN4G sera le futur missile des forces aériennes stratégiques - Zone Militaire
The ASN4G missile will be the future of the strategic air forces
Given the changing international environment, nuclear deterrence is "more relevant than ever" to Jean-Yves Le Drian, the Minister of Defense. He added that those who "hear" the "fundamentally delegitimize nuclear deterrence is the wrong fight."
"We must prevent the generous use a world" without nuclear weapons' prepares a world where only the dictators disposal in "argued the minister, at a conference held on November 20 at the military school, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Strategic Air Forces (SAF). "France is at the forefront of a determined policy of arms control and the fight against proliferation, in the context of international law. It is on this ground that it intends to make real progress to prevent new arms races will engage, "he added.
However, and for the French strategic forces remain credible, it is necessary to modernize.And, while some voices are calling for the suppresion of the airborne component of deterrence to find savings (which remains to be seen ...), Mr Le Drian has vigorously defended by repeating arguments which have already been developed in these columns.
It "provides the political authority a wide range of strategic and military options, with a range of modes of action that gives real flexibility to the entire device. In particular, it contributes greatly upon decision of the President of the Republic, with the exercise of targeted strategic effects, or a final warning strikes', the minister said.
"It also represents, he continued, an ability 'visible', which opens in case of necessity, space for a political and diplomatic maneuver, (...) for the potential adversary generates an additional constraint for its defenses Thanks to the diversity of modes of penetration of our weapons, ballistic or aerobic, aircraft or submarines "and" by the redundancy that results, it puts our nuclear forces from an unexpected breakthrough in this or Such a field. " Finally, "it is moderate, with regard to sovereignty issues," with "about 5% of the budget of deterrence in the next ten years," he added.
As announced by Mr Le Drian, the future of FAS go through the renewal of aircraft C-135FR tanker with 12 A-330 Phoenix. Incidentally, these devices are not only meant to carry out flights related to nuclear deterrence. If it is indispensable, it remains indeed not unless they are also involved in conventional missions. But that's not all.
Last spring, General Denis Mercier, Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CEMAA) had indicated during a hearing on nuclear deterrence, the National Assembly, that work to develop a successor to the missile ASMP-A (Medium Range Air-Sol - Enhanced) was underway. In his speech, the Minister said a little more.
He "was launched last summer dirant the stage of development of the ASMP-A missile renovated. This will provide the component (Airborne) an aerobic missile capable of penetrating all future defenses until 2035, "he began by saying on this subject. "Finally, studies of the successor of ASMPA, called ASN4G have already started," confirmed Mr Le Drian. The question is what does the acronym ASN4G ...
"Bold designs, using for example, the stealth technology or hyper-velocity, at the forefront of developments in technology will be explored," said Minister again, who said "these projects are doubly necessary because that deterrence is meaningful only if it can permanently overcome the prohibition strategies that our opponents might want to implement "and because, on an industrial scale" deterrence has a ripple effect on the all our industrial and technological capabilities. "
"The choice of the future weapons system, consisting of ASN4G missile and an even carrier to define, represents a major challenge for the Armed Forces. I have every confidence in General Denis Mercier and the Delegate General for Armaments Laurent Collet Billon, to guide and inform this record, which is closely related to the future Air Force Size "further explained M . Le Drian.
However, General Mercier has already given its opinion on the technology of choice."Mastering the hypervelocity appears already as a central factor. I note in this connection that the United States, Russia, China, India - countries where the issue of modernizing their airborne nuclear component does not even arise - experimental programs of hyper swift vehicles are driven . I imagine with difficulty that France, which has an established lead in ramjet remains in line with these developments, "he explained in April.
Thus, the ASN4G program should lead to a true technological breakthrough in 2035, to the extent that there is a lot of research to be conducted on the resistance of materials and populseurs. No doubt these will interest manufacturers to potential civil applications in air transport, for example.
Moreover, again by 2035, the 4 submarines nuclear ballistic missile (SSBN) of "The Triumphant" class gradually begin to be replaced by the 3rd generation of SSBNs.Meanwhile, Mr Le Drian confirmed that the ballistic missile M51.2, with dla new oceanic nuclear warhead (TNO) will be deployed from 2016 (on The Triumphant), and the work on the M51.3 were incurred since July.
L'ASN4G sera le futur missile des forces aériennes stratégiques - Zone Militaire