Breaking news
French Air Force will sign a contract for new Multi-Role Tanker Transports aircraft A330 in 2013 2111111.
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World
Air Force News - France |
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French Air Force will sign a contract for new Multi-Role Tanker Transports
aircraft A330 in 2013. |
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The
French Air Force will sign a contract for between five and seven Airbus
A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports in 2013, with quick deliveries foreseen,
according to its commander General Jean-Paul Palomeros. Budget difficulties
thwarted earlier French attempts to procure a new tanker. (Source AINonline) |
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 Airbus A-330 Multi-Role tanker transports aicraft |
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| But
Palomeros told AIN that NATO air operations over Libya had underscored
the need for Europe to boost its air-refueling capacity. The French Air
Force currently flies 14 aging KC-135 tankers. The new French A330s would
be pooled with the UK, and there would be discussions with the RAF over
the addition of command-and-control capabilities to the joint fleet. France
would eventually acquire 14 A330MRTTs, Palomeros added, with a second
batch serving to replace the service’s A340 and A310 VIP and transport
fleet. Palomeros also confirmed that the French Air Force would not introduce the Anglo-French Telemos UAV until at least 2020. It is a proposed development of the BAE Systems Mantis medium-range long-endurance UAV, which has already flown. France recently decided to adapt the IAI Heron TP to meet near-term requirements. “We need to define the operational requirements and develop a clear road map. The Mantis is a good platform, but we have real work to do regarding systems and communications,” Palomeros told AIN. During the Air Chiefs Conference at the recent Dubai Air Show, he identified key concerns about current UAV operations, including interoperability, multitasking and multisensor exploitation. |
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