Saturday, June 15, 2024 - Eurosatory - At the inauguration of Eurosatory 2024, Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and Délégué général pour l'armement Emmanuel CHIVA will sign the charter defining the framework for application of the defense aerial drone pact.
The signing of this agreement on the Ministry of the Armed Forces stand (Hall 5A entrance) is the concrete result of work carried out by the Groupement des Industries Françaises de Défense et de Sécurité Terrestres et Aéroterrestres (GICAT) and the Association du Drone de l'Industrie Française (ADIF) over more than a year, as part of a working group (GT).
Bringing together more than 50 industrialists of all sizes (UAV and equipment manufacturers), as well as military staff, the Délégation générale de l'armement (DGA) and the Agence de l'innovation de défense (AID), this WG, after identifying France's lag in the field of UAVs and remotely operated munitions (MTOs) weighing less than 150kg, put forward 20 concrete proposals designed to enable France to take its rightful place in this technological field, which is crucial to the future of our defense system.
During the course of our work, it became clear that the French government was having difficulty communicating with a protean DITB in the drone sector, whose rapid technological evolution is incompatible with conventional acquisition processes. The drone pact aims to remedy this by proposing a framework for exchange between the DITB and the Ministry of the Armed Forces, where, through regular dialogue, manufacturers will be able to anticipate the satisfaction of the armed forces' future needs, and the administration will be able to benefit rapidly from manufacturers' technological innovations.
The expected benefits are short-term. Indeed, even before the UAV Pact was signed, the DMAé's innovative off-the-shelf contract for the acquisition of intelligence UAVs, and the DGA's enhanced and innovative dialogue as part of the SDTL program, are directly in line with the work of the GICAT ADIF working group and the spirit of the UAV Pact.
As a reminder, the technological, industrial and capability roadmap delivered last April by the GT concerns the supply of French aerial drones and remotely-operated munitions weighing less than 150kg for the French army.
Recent conflicts have marked a turning point in the use and understanding of the role of this equipment, which now occupies a central place on the battlefield.
Among the 20 concrete, pragmatic and realistic recommendations made, some are closely related and highlight a number of key ideas and priorities:
- Set up a "defense drone pact" between MINARM and the industry, represented by GICAT and ADIF, to establish a real framework for regular dialogue between government and industry players.
- Consolidate and support the DTIB: Through an active policy of ordering products off-the-shelf as a matter of priority, and by setting up new, dynamic and responsive acquisition and program management processes, integrating the constraints of the war economy and encouraging manufacturers to carry out developments using their own funds; Bringing market forces to bear on the emergence of a number of national champions, by declaring UAVs and MTOs to be sovereign systems, so that France can maintain its strategic autonomy in this field; By implementing an ambitious, structured and concerted research and development (R&D) policy; By setting up the "trusted UAV" scheme voted for in the LPM;
- Accelerate the use of UAVs in the French Army, by rapidly and fully equipping certain units with UAVs and calling on reservist remote pilots.
- Adapt the current LPM for UAVs and MTOs weighing less than 150kg, with a multi-year roadmap including financial flows and milestones for major acquisitions every year. The financial targets dedicated to UAVs/MTOs weighing less than 150kg should reach €250m/year by the end of the LPM, for acquisitions, R&D and industrial sovereignty.
As the WG formula has met with broad support from GICAT and ADIF members, it is continuing its work in 2024, taking a closer look at certain subjects that have not yet been fully addressed, such as interfaces, artificial intelligence and the integration of UAVs on vehicles, while awaiting the expansion provided for in the charter.
Press contact GICAT :
Delphine SAMPIC : delphine.sampic@gicat.fr
Amélie SESCOUSSE : amelie.sescousse@gicat.fr
Timothée DICKES: timothee.dickes@gicat.fr
