Medium Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aircraft System – Potential Tasks*
Britain and France agreed on military cooperation last Friday to include a joint combat UAS programme, aircraft carrier, and combined monitoring of nuclear weapons arsenals — all of which could cut defence costs on both sides of the Channel.
Prime Minister Cameron and President Sarkozy talked about development of two different UAS programmes — a medium-altitude long-endurance or MALE aircraft, and an unmanned combat air vehicle or UCAV.
Britain’s BAE and France’s Dassault were asked to work on the MALE, and would aim to get them operational by 2020. The two countries are also studying production of a joint UCAV with the aim to have it ready by 2030, French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said.
Edward Hunt of IHS Jane’s Consulting said in a statement that the joint combat drone could compete for buyers with the more dominant United States and Israeli aircraft but face “many challenges.”
“It would be a significant step toward the creation of a next generation combat aircraft for Europe,” he said in a statement, adding “It remains to be seen whether sufficient political will can be maintained over the decade of design and testing required.”
The project that BAE and Dassault are working on for 2020 is known as Telemos – apparently born out of BAE’s Mantis and Dassault’s Neuron programmes.
France will also begin evaluating the UK’s Thales Watchkeeper in 2012, with the process running until next year.
European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co., the parent of Airbus SAS, has failed to line up government funding for its own Talarion project, after two years of threatening to halt the project without government support.
*MALE Potential Tasks:
T1 – surveillance and reconnaissance loiter
T2 – time-sensitive targeting mission
T3 – broad area surveillance and reconnaissance and close air support
T4 – surveillance and reconnaissance loiter
T5 – maritime surveillance
T6 – land