Communication and navigation have always been at the heart of military manoeuvre, so as to coordinate the action and movement of distant units. From summary maps, smoke signals and flags used since antiquity, armies have evolved towards increasingly efficient and precise systems, capable of bringing about the expected effect at the desired moment, and thus multiplying its effectiveness. In the field of navigation, the invention of the Global Positioning System or GPS in the early 70s, based on a triangulated position signal from at least 4 satellites moving 20.000 km above the earth, and…
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DARPA is developing a silent propulsion similar to that of the Red October
At the end of 1984, a short story published by the Naval Institute Press by a then little-known American author began to meet with great success not only with traditional readers of military news, but with the general public. 5 million copies later, "In Pursuit of Red October" had become a worldwide success, propelling Tom Clancy to center stage and even creating a new literary style, the techno-thriller. This success was largely based on the precision of the book, and in particular on its descriptions of the universe of modern submarine warfare, until then relatively obscure for the great…
Read the articleThese technologies which will be able to detect an F35 from 2030
Since the use of the F117 during the first Gulf War in 1991, stealth has been considered the essential characteristic of a combat aircraft, to be able to face the modern anti-aircraft defenses of a determined adversary. . And Lieutenant Colonel Zelko's aircraft shot down by a battery of S-175 missiles (SA-3 in the NATO classification), when it had just opened its ammunition hatch on March 27, 1999 over Serbia did not didn't change much. Stealth had become the holy grail of aircraft manufacturers and the staffs of the world's air forces. From then on, several programs based on this characteristic were developed in…
Read the articleWhat are these next generation camouflage technologies?
In English, a term is often used to designate new generation camouflage technologies: Cloaking, literally the “use of a cape”. The reference to the elven cloaks of Frodo Baggins and the invisibility cloak of the most famous of young British wizards is obvious, while retaining a dreamlike dimension. However, this term is now used most seriously in the world by many research laboratories working for the Defense industry. Thanks to new meta-materials, it is indeed now possible to totally or partially erase the presence of an object, a vehicle or a soldier, in the sight of the opposing forces.…
Read the articleWhy would opening up the FCAS program to other European partners bring as many constraints as opportunities?
Gathered in Madrid on April 28, the German defense ministers Boris Pistorius, Spanish Margarita Robles and French Sebastien Lecornu, formalized the launch of phase 1B of the Future Air Combat System program, or SCAF. This signature follows the industrial agreement ratified a few months ago by Dassault Aviation, Airbus DS and Indra, which made it possible to get out of the rut in which the program had been stuck for almost a year, around the piloting of its first pillar aimed at developing the Next Generation Fighter, or NGF, at the heart of the program. Beyond phase 1B which…
Read the articleA second French NG nuclear aircraft carrier: Why do it? And for how much?
It was with an enthusiastic tweet that the Renaissance deputy for the second constituency of Finistère, Jean-Charles Larsonneur, announced yesterday evening the adoption by a cross-party majority of an amendment to the Military Programming Law 2024-2030, for that an in-depth study be carried out during the LPM, on the subject of the construction and implementation of a second new generation nuclear aircraft carrier, or PANG, while the first unit which is to replace the PAN Charles de Gaulle in 2038 Beyond the fact that Parliament has played a much more visible and welcome role in the design of this LPM than in previous ones, the announcement…
Read the articleMGCS program: the time for bad solutions is approaching for France
Only a few weeks ago, French planning for its combat tank fleet remained anchored on the start of deliveries in 2035, targeted by the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System or MGCS program, which was to enable to replace the French Leclercs like the German Leopard 2s at this deadline. This posture was then surprising, and even worrying, since many declarations across the Rhine seemed to point to a probable slippage of the program beyond 2040, and more probably 2045. Just a month ago, the acquisition by the Bundeswehr of 18 Leopard 2A8, a new…
Read the articleIran tests new medium-range ballistic missile in response to Israeli strike threats
Two days ago, in reaction to the recent revelations concerning the construction of a new nuclear site by Tehran, the Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, made a new reference, in an indirect way, to possible Israeli preventive strikes against the Iran and its nuclear capabilities, against the backdrop of the failure of international negotiations to induce Tehran to abandon uranium enrichment beyond the country's civilian needs. For several years now, the Israeli air force, the Kheil HaAvir, has been training to carry out long-distance raids, and thus be able to strike, by means of drones and fighter planes, the sites …
Read the articleIran would build a new nuclear site beyond the reach of the best conventional Western bombs
The development of Iran's nuclear program is a matter of great concern on the international scene, particularly for the neighbors of the Islamic Republic, but also for Western countries that depend on energy supplies from the Middle East, as well as for Israel, which has long been designated by Tehran as the country's major adversary. In recent years, the warning messages have continued to follow, while Iran has purified quantities of uranium in its centrifuges well beyond the limits authorized by the International Atomic Energy Agency, 10 times more even, according to the organization. Iran itself contributes to this concern, by announcing that it has reached…
Read the articleCanadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier positions itself against Boeing's P-8A Poseidon to replace the RCAF's CP-140M Aurora
At the end of March, Ottawa announced that it had sent a request for information to the American Foreign Military Sales, with a view to acquiring 16 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the aircraft manufacturer Boeing to replace the 15 CP- 140M Aurora which provide these missions as well as electronic intelligence within the Royal Canadian Air Force. The press release issued by the Canadian authorities specified that the P-8A was today the aircraft most capable of fulfilling the missions required in this field for the Canadian air forces, especially since it had already been selected by 4 of the 5 member countries of the 5 eyes and…
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