The French Ministry of the Armed Forces is set to award a new contract to Dassault Aviation for the integration of Thales’ Universal Electronic Warfare Capability on-board three Falcon Epicure aircraft.
The three modified Dassault Falcon Epicure business jets will replace the French Air Force’s two ageing Transall C160G Gabriele electronic warfare aircraft.
Dassault Aviation chairman and chief executive officer Eric Trappier said: “The Falcon Epicure will serve the French forces in the same way as the Falcons 10, 200, 50, 2000, 900, and 7X are already doing it.
“The military Falcons provide the perfect illustration of the dual competences of Dassault Aviation: our civil aircraft benefit from the cutting-edge technologies developed for our combat aircraft, which in return benefit from the industrial processes deployed for the highly competitive production of the Falcon aircraft.”
Slated to be deployed from 2025, the new Falcon Epicure fleet will help strengthen the airforce’s existing electromagnetic intelligence capabilities.
The new Epicure programme will enable the French Air Force to carry out strategic information gathering functions that would allow for better anticipation of eventualities.
Thales’ Universal Electronic Warfare Capability payload will be capable of intercepting both radio and radar signals simultaneously.
The company’s expertise in the four major digital technologies, such as platform connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity, will support its ability to develop the future.
