The French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, and her German and Spanish counterparts, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Ángel Olivares Ramírez on February 20 signed the Future Air Combat System (FCAS) agreements.
The French Armament General Directorate (DGA) is to supply four H160s to the French Navy for search and rescue missions through a partnership between Airbus Helicopters, Babcock, and Safran Helicopter Engines. The contract was awarded on January 31, 2020. The French Navy will start operating these helicopters in 2022 for a period of ten years.
Airbus Helicopters and the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) are pursuing a new set of studies to further the militarization of the H160 and to define its associated support ecosystem in the context of the Joint Light Helicopter program (Hélicoptère Interarmées Léger: HIL).
In October 2018, during the last edition of Euronaval, Dassault Aviation unveiled a scale model of what could become the Franco-German Future Combat Air System (FCAS) or Système de Combat Aérien Futur (SCAF). This first model displayed a tailless delta-winged aircraft clearly inspired by Dassault’s Rafale. Despite its presence in a naval exhibition, this plane soon raised questions about its ability to operate from an aircraft carrier, or even to act as an air superiority fighter.
The French defence procurement agency DGA has awarded the RIFAN 2.1 contract to an industrial consortium headed by Airbus and also comprising the Naval Group and Rohde & Schwarz. This contract was signed for a maximum duration of eight years and up to a maximum amount of € 150 million.
The Brazilian Navy has ordered three H135 light twinengine helicopters to be operated by the 1st General Purpose Helicopter Squadron (HU-1), Airbus Helicopters said on Feb. 21, 2019.
France and Germany have awarded the first-ever contract – a Joint Concept Study (JCS) – to Dassault Aviation and Airbus for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme. The launch of the JCS was announced by the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, and her German counterpart, Ursula von der Leyen, at a meeting yesterday in Paris.
The Aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) on January 24 handed over five AS565Mbe Panther ASW helicopters and one CN235-220 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) to the Indonesian Navy.
