French
Navy (Marine Nationale) Rafale M multi-role fighters conducted some
Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) flight above Libya
from aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle on November 20th and 21st. The
information comes from the French president's office as part of president
Hollande's visit onboard the French Navy aircraft carrier today. |
According
to the press dossier, two ISR missions above Sirte and Tobruk, two coastal
towns, were conducted. UN experts believe that there are nearly 3,000
Islamic State (IS) fighters in Libya. They are receiving support from
IS strongholds in Syria and Iraq on a regular basis. The town of Sirte
is said to be fully controlled by IS. The Italian Government and French
defense minister have repeatedly voiced their concerns about a growing
IS presence so close (300 Km away) to Europe's coastline.
The Rafale M were very likely using Thales' AREOS / RECO NG reconnaissance
pod for these ISR missions. According to Thales, the pod is combat-proven
with the French Air Force and Navy on board the Rafale F3. The system
is fully compliant with NATO standards for integration into large-scale
C4ISR systems and coalition operations.
AREOS (Airborne Recce Observation System) is a stand-off reconnaissance
system designed for tactical and strategic missions. It provides a unique
day/night imagery intelligence (IMINT) capability for detection, reconnaissance
and identification at stand-off ranges, as well as very low altitudes
and high speeds, under any weather conditions.
Composed of an airborne pod and a ground/shipboard station, AREOS
combines state-of-the-art imaging technologies with high-performance
data-links. These advanced functions save precious time in the sensor-to-shooter
loop to quickly meet evolving mission demands, including the new requirements
of peace-keeping operations.
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