You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
France Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter navyreco
- Start date
Jura The idiot
General
Sunday at 2:37 PM
French military helicopter readiness? Depends on the fleet
and here's DefenseNews storyJan 30, 2017
now
La disponibilité des hélicoptères militaires a atteint un niveau critique
14 Mai 2017
translated using google:
"After publishing figures on the availability of the fleet of in-service transport aircraft in the French armed forces, MP François Cornut-Gentille has just received a response from the Ministry of Defense concerning the Park of French military helicopters. And to say that it is alarming!
...
• Puma and Super Puma (average age 41.40):
As of December 31, 2016, the availability of Puma and Super Puma (Air and Earth) is 27.70% for a fleet of 105 aircraft, with an operating cost of 106.95 million Of euros (!).
As of December 31, 2015, the availability rate was 32.70% for a fleet of 105 units."
C'est la vie
French military helicopter readiness? Depends on the fleet
The latest official update on readiness of French military helicopters show an average availability less than 50 percent, with the Tiger attack helicopter only ready for operations a quarter of the time.
The French Army fleet of 59 Tiger attack helicopters was last year ready for operations an average 25.6 percent at a total annual maintenance cost of €88.61 million (U.S. $98.2 million), the Defence Ministry said in response to a written question from Member of Parliament François Cornut-Gentille.
The Tiger’s 2016 availability compares with 21.4 percent in the previous year and is based on an average age of 5.5 years.
A low availability of French military helicopters and high cost of maintenance have sparked concern, leading Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to pledge last November an availability boost to an average 50 percent across the fleets, with special attention paid to the Tiger.
“Topics such as a second aircraft carrier and cybersecurity grab the public limelight, but maintenance lacks that nice image,” Cornut-Gentille said.
The French Navy’s 15-strong fleet of NH90 Caïman helicopters had an availability of 38.4 percent, up from 32 percent, at an annual maintenance cost of €47 million, with an average age of 3.4 years.
The 17 NH90s flown by the Army were available 41.4 percent, down from 47.6 percent, with an annual cost of €61.53 million and average age of three years.
The Cougar, with an average age of 26.3 years, was available 9.9 percent, down from 12.2 percent, with a bill of €40.27 million.
“Our essential capabilities are much constrained by the very low rate of availability of our helicopters, on average 38 percent,” MP François Lamy said of Army helicopters in a Nov. 2 lower house debate on the 2017 defense budget, reported business magazine Challenges.
“The Navy has 17 helicopters, 10 of which are in maintenance,” said parliamentarian Gwendal Rouillard, who was referring to the NH90 and pointed out that the 17th was at the time grounded due to a mechanical problem.
That lack of availability was largely due to an unduly complex system of maintenance shared out between government offices including the Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office; two service wings of the Defence Ministry, namely Integrated Structure for Aeronautic Maintenance, and the Industrial Aeronautics Service; and private sector operators, Lamy said.
Airbus Helicopters supplied the Tiger, and NHIndustries — a joint venture held by Airbus, Leonardo and Fokker — delivered the NH90.
“Basically, this system does not work,” Lamy said. To underline the impracticality, he pointed to the Tiger’s routine service lasting 183 days, when the actual average period was 383 days.
Le Drian said he had launched an emergency plan to boost availability to average 50 percent in 2019, and to increase the readiness of the Tiger, which has seen a faster rate of wear and tear due to a damaging fine sand encountered in sub-Saharan Africa on the Barkhane mission.
“Supporting the French armed forces is a top priority for Airbus Helicopters, and we are working closely with our customers to meet their operational needs,” an Airbus Helicopters spokesperson said.
Normandie-Niemen 2/30 Sqn in fact designated Rgt unique case in French AF
The more famous French unit created in USSR in 1942, Free French Air Force fight in the Eastern front up to 1945 !
Rafale with insignias for the 3 flights, Sqn 2/30 based to Mont de Masan with 20 Rafale.
The more famous French unit created in USSR in 1942, Free French Air Force fight in the Eastern front up to 1945 !
Rafale with insignias for the 3 flights, Sqn 2/30 based to Mont de Masan with 20 Rafale.
Jura The idiot
General
did they 'hit' anything, or 'released' the weapon?
French Navy fires Aster 30 to train crew, vessel for airborne threats
French Navy fires Aster 30 to train crew, vessel for airborne threats
The French Navy’s Forbin air defense frigate fired an Aster 30 surface-to-air missile in a training exercise May 16 to prepare the crew and vessel in engagements against airborne threats, the service said.
“This firing and its preparation are particularly significant as they set up a complete and realistic operational engagement for the frigate and its crew,” the Navy said in a May 18 statement. The firing took place while the Forbin was out at sea, and it was the third missile launch since the ship’s entry into service.
Vice Adm. Marc de Briançon, commander of the surface fleet, watched the firing from the missile test center on the Levant island, operated by the Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office, the service said.
The DGA Levant missile center located in the Mediterranean sea is tasked with drawing up the most realistic operational test fire possible while observing the highest level of security. The DGA center also evaluates the performance of the complex combat systems.
The Aster 30 arms the Forbin and its sister ship, Chevalier Paul, and will be fitted on the two forthcoming multimission frigates to be adapted to the air defense mission. The missile will also be fitted on the five intermediate frigates ordered last month.
Forbin and Chevalier Paul are French Horizon-class frigates, built in cooperation with Italy. Paris cut an initial plan to build four Horizon vessels for the French Navy.
Leclerc During the Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017
Georges Guynemer Flying aceFrench Squadron 1/2 revealed his Mirage 2000-5F The Guynemer Bird
Discovery of the mixed fighter detachment of Chammal
With their nose pointing upwards, the Rafale Marine are easily distinguishable from their Air Force counterparts. Between two missions, under the hangars of the French projected base (BAP) in the Levant, eight aircraft of two types are currently stationed. Since the beginning of April 2017, for the first time, Rafales de la Marine (12F) have been deployed ashore alongside those of the Air Force. This solution makes it possible to relieve the latter, which has continuously armed the BAP since the end of 2014. It also allows naval aviation fleets to continue to participate in operations, while the "Charles de Gaulle" Unavailable for eighteen months due to its mid-life redesign. Members of the 12F are not the first sailors to have discovered this base in Jordan. An ATL2 has been deployed there for several months. It provides intelligence missions and also strikes.
Rafale M and B.
Four Rafale of the 12F flotilla are now deployed alongside as many two-seater Rafales of the "Gascogne" squadron. The seamen were fully integrated into the BAP detachment, known as the Bombardment Group 43 "Levant". The two variants of the Rafale carry out the same missions. However, they do not operate for the time being on mixed patrols. To carry out their missions, which are mostly close air support, the Rafales take off by patrol of two. Which are made up solely of marine or air. The procedures employed by Naval Aviation are a little different, explains a pilot. Sailors, for example, are accustomed to respecting a strict radio silence indispensable for assault missions at sea. Apart from that, operational cultures are very close and tactics also. Rafale B and M patrols have already had the opportunity to work together.
Every day the Rafales take off to carry out their close support missions to the Iraqi troops fighting against Daech or to intervene in Syria. French aircraft were implicated in 2014 in the battle of Mosul, the crews could see their missions evolve as the fighting moved closer to the urban area. The objective of the French command is to effectively support the fight against Daech, but not at any price. No French or civilian loss is allowed, explains the commander of the BAP. The arming of the devices is adapted to these requirements. Patrols take off with a mixed configuration. One Rafale is equipped with four laser-guided GBU-12 bombs, while the other carries GPS-guided AASMs. Again, the bodies of bombs are variegated. Two AASMs are configured with a smaller military load to limit their effects (BLU-126 "low collateral dam-mages bomb"). This mixing offers several options for the crews, who can thus choose the type of guidance and the military load to optimize the effects of their strikes and avoid the collateral damage. The rockets of the armaments can also be adjusted to, for example, trigger the explosion of the bomb once it has penetrated the ground and, again, limit its effects. The Rafales also carry a Mica missile that could be used for self-defense but is used mainly as an infrared sensor
"Red card Holder".
If strikes are ordered by the air command of the coalition, a French representative may at any time prohibit them if he considers that the context does not correspond to the French rules of engagement. It is said that he takes out the red card ("red card holder"). Once the strike is ordered, the crew searches for the best angle of attack to better control the effects of the bombardment. After the launch of the armaments, the pilots continue to follow the situation and the trajectory of the bomb. One of them said that bombs were diverted during their flight to uninhabited areas because the context had evolved and the risk of reaching civilians had become too great.
Set up since the end of 2014, the BAP is well established. Its size has been optimized to allow the aircraft to carry out their missions and stay alert 24 hours a day. In three hours, a Rafale can be on-site, ready to intervene throughout the theater. Four hundred men and women are deployed to support the aircraft and the men, as well as the protection of the base, which is only 30 km from the Syrian border. This proximity is an asset for air missions. French fighters are much closer to their area of action than when they operate from the United Arab Emirates or the "Charles de Gaulle". Raqqa is a forty minutes flight and Mosul, less than an hour away. Some missions can be carried out without refueling. But the geographical location can also be a weakness in terms of security, because of the proximity of the combat zones. This is why the protective device is progressively strengthened.
Reconnaissance missions.
The Air Force insists on the consistency of the BAP tool. This is reflected in good availability rates and only 1% of the missions requested by the coalition canceled. The devices involved in Chammal benefit from the priority given to operations in terms of logistics and the involvement of mechanics deployed in operation.
Several hundred kilometers from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates air base continues to participate in operations. The seven Rafale C squadron "Provence" participate a little less in the strikes but they are the only ones to implement the Reco NG capability in the framework of Operation Chammal, the pod not having been deployed in Jordan. Reconnaissance missions require lengthy preparation. The pilot must carefully plan his flight to fly in good conditions to areas deemed of interest by the high command. The Reco NG nacelle is programmed and can orient its fixed focal length to the expected zones. The pilot optimizes his altitude and position to obtain the best angle of view. Upon returning from his mission, the Squadron's intelligence unit carries out an extensive analysis, then image-wrapping, which is then sent to a centralized level, which will compare the data collected with other sources.
In the United Arab Emirates, one third of the pilots are deployed over a long period, for two to three years. The others make short stays of two months. If the BAP aircraft in Jordan only carry out operational missions, the Emirates may be involved in training, particularly with local forces. They have significant resources and experience feedback from their involvement in operations in Yemen.
