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EUROPE
04 Mar 26. Dassault CEO says FCAS fighter project ‘dead’ if Airbus refuses to cooperate
- Summary
- Dispute worsening in troubled European fighter jet project
- Dassault and Airbus at odds over industrial control
- Dassault could build standalone jet for under 50 bn euros
The head of France’s Dassault Aviation (AM.PA) declared a troubled warplane project with Germany “dead” if Airbus (AIR.PA) did not back down from what he described as the European planemaker’s refusal to cooperate.
The comments from France’s longstanding national warplane champion are the latest sign that plans for the next phase of the 100 bn euro ($116 bn) programme are near collapse amid rivalry between the two aerospace groups.
“Airbus doesn’t want to work with Dassault, full stop. I take note,” Eric Trappier told a news conference.
Airbus declined to comment but referred to earlier remarks as both companies seek to avoid blame for the unravelling of a flagship project launched by French President Emmanuel Macron and then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2017.
Although headquartered in France, where most of its civil airliners are assembled, Airbus represents Germany and Spain on the FCAS project.
Last month, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury denied relations with Dassault had broken down completely, but appeared to turn the page on FCAS in its current form, raising for the first time the possibility of two separate fighters.
Asked by reporters which comments had triggered his reaction, Trappier pointed to recent statements by Germany’s IG Metall union and aerospace lobby group BDLI.
“They had BDLI and IG Metall say it; they didn’t have the courage to say it themselves,” he told reporters. An Airbus spokesperson declined to comment on third-party statements.
The heads of BDLI and IG Metall published a joint op-ed last month titled “Excuse me, Dassault, but this is not ok,” warning of Germany’s “industrial self-abandonment”.
DASSAULT WANTS LEADERSHIP CLARITY
The dispute centres on leadership of the core fighter element of plans to build an interconnected fleet of crewed planes and armed drones under a common digital umbrella.
Trappier said he had proposed clarifying Dassault’s leadership of the core fighter, including choice of suppliers, while granting Airbus control over its own workshare.
He defended France’s record in making high-performance combat jets and accused Airbus of pushing for a more cumbersome Eurofighter-type partnership, referring to a four-nation jet.
“I have said from the start that I want clear leadership and not just on paper,” Trappier said.
Insiders expect Germany and France to abandon development of a joint fighter jet but continue cooperation on drones and the so-called combat cloud, or digital backbone. But rowing back the plan is seen as politically awkward for Macron.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last month appeared to back this scenario, citing diverging strategic needs.
Trappier said he remained ready to work with Airbus but sketched out options for a standalone aircraft, saying this could be developed for less than 50 bn euros thanks to Dassault’s track record with independent programmes.
He also questioned how easy it would be to share common systems or engines. ($1 = 0.8621 euros) (Source: Reuters)
USA
02 Mar 26. SOCOM wants ‘Acoustic Rainbow’ Tech for Silencing Drones. Acoustic rainbows may sound psychedelic, but the concept has nothing to do with hallucinations. By dispersing sound waves, noisy objects can potentially be made far less audible. That promise has drawn the interest of U.S. Special Operations Command, which is seeking Acoustic Rainbow Emitters (ARE) for drones under a Small Business Innovation Research solicitation that closed March 25.
According to the notice, an ARE “would provide a means to redirect the acoustic signature of a UAS and change the frequencies of the acoustic signature.” While small tactical drones are difficult to see, the buzz of their propellers can alert targets and expose the aircraft to hostile fire. SOCOM noted that acoustic sensors are becoming increasingly common on the battlefield.
The project would attach emitters to Army Special Operations Forces drones. The devices should redirect sound upward, away from the ground, and filter frequencies to levels inaudible to the human ear. The goal is to reduce a drone’s acoustic signature by at least 50 percent. Weight limits are strict: no more than 1 kilogram for a Group 1 drone (under 20 pounds) and 3 kilograms for a Group 2 drone (under 55 pounds). The emitter must also maintain a low visual signature.
SOCOM appears particularly interested in quieter attack drones, citing use during terminal strikes. Phase I calls for a feasibility study; Phase II would produce a prototype. Researchers in Denmark and Spain recently demonstrated a 3D-printed emitter that passively scatters and redirects broadband sound without electricity. (Source: UAS VISION/Defense News.
REST OF THE WORLD
27 Feb 26. NZ orders unmanned air, land and sea platforms from Syos Aerospace. Syos Aerospace, a tech start-up originating in New Zealand, has won an important contract from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). The award covers a portfolio of unmanned platforms for the air, land and sea domains.
The contract is significant, not because of its size, but because the NZDF is putting its faith in local technologies and expertise.
As Sam Vye, CEO of Syos, pointed out to Asian Military Review, “This is the first substantial [NZ] contract that actually has some weight really behind it.” He described it as strategic for the country, plus it is valuable to Syos as it represents “the stamp of approval of our home country”.
The contract incorporates the following platforms: the SG400 unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), the SM300 unmanned surface vessel (USV) and the SA2 reconnaissance drone and the SA7 one-way effector.
The SG400 is a 6×6 vehicle possessing a 200km range and payload capacity of 400kg. As for the SM300 USV, it can carry 300kg payloads.
Announcing the deal on 26 February, Defence Minister Judith Collins affirmed, “We’re partnering with New Zealand businesses to ensure the defence force can protect our people into the future,” adding that the Syos platforms will “enable access to mission-ready, combat-proven technology”.
The NZDF said the army and navy “will conduct trials in a range of scenarios, such as transporting supplies, performing maritime patrols and completing route reconnaissance”. Collins added, “This will inform future capability decisions on a technology that has rapidly become central to modern military operations.”
Vye confirmed these platforms will be used for structured experimentation and evaluations, including developing concepts of operation. “The NZDF’s programme of structured experimentation aligns strongly with how we operate – working shoulder to shoulder with customers and end-users to develop solutions that move beyond traditional approaches, to tackle complex, real-world challenges.”
No details have been released on quantities or dollar value, but Vye shared, “We’re laser focused for minimum viable capability. We don’t really give two hoots about exquisite, and we really go after the minimum viable capability requirement. What that means is the vehicles can deliver the capability, but the cost is really cheap – an order of magnitude more cost effective than our American competitors.” He emphasised that the capability-to-cost ratio is very important for nations such as New Zealand.
As the new Syos platforms are rolled out in coming months, local firm Sysdoc was contracted to supply training support, and Hirtenberger Defence Technology for advanced systems support. The NZ Army is exploring integration of Hirtenberger’s Arcfire fire control system and an indigenous battle management system on its unmanned platforms.
The CEO said countries “must listen to what’s happening in Ukraine and any of the other conflicts around the world, because the rate of change of technology is so quick”. He said it is wise to “purchase a few vehicles of the latest technologies and trends to learn how to use them”.
He made a second point that countries can either stockpile for deterrence, or develop the industrial capacity to rapidly build such systems. Of course, “This contract isn’t about stockpiling, this isn’t about industrial capacity. This contract is about really providing them low-volume units across multitude of vehicles and domains, really just to understand more and grow their own capabilities.”
Syos attempts to avoid bespoke components, and is agnostic in terms of subsystems and sensors so as to avoid supply chain problems.
This deal also reinforces the country’s Defence Industry Strategy published last year, one aim of which is to boost local defence industry capability and involvement.
Drones and USVs from Syos are being utilised in combat by Ukraine. For example, its interceptors are countering Shahed drones flown by Russia. Last year, the company produced around 140 USVs too, many likely destined for Ukraine.
Furthermore, Syos has a presence in the UK, supplying a batch of 7.2m-long Rattler USVs to the Royal Navy. Furthermore, it was one of seven companies shortlisted in January for the British Army’s Project Nyx, which is seeking “wingman drones” to accompany Apache attack helicopters.
Asked about which parts of the world his company is currently targeting, Vye said, “I won’t go into too much detail on that for commercial reasons, but we’re very heavily focused on the Asia-Pacific region as well as Europe.”
Syos was founded just four years ago, and won the 2025 NZ Hi-Tech Company of the Year award. (Source: AMR)
27 Feb 26. Indian Army eyes drone interception systems and armed UAVs. The Indian Army is seeking to strengthen its counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), and simultaneously it is pursuing additional armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) possessing a surveillance capability.
On 20 February, India’s Ministry of Defence issued a request for information (RfI) for up to 45 drone interception systems plus up to 50 drone catcher systems for the army. They will be deployed across varied Indian terrain – such as plains, deserts and high-altitude areas – in support of field formations and to protect vital installations.
The army is faced with a growing aerial threat from drones with a low radar cross-section (RCS) and employed individually or in swarms. This was experienced last year during operations against Pakistan as part of Operation Sindoor.
The requested drone interception system is required to detect and counter hostile low-RCS drones and UAVs through kinetic means. The system must also be capable of operating independently or in conjunction with existing army air defence systems and other C-UAS assets.
Key performance parameters listed by the army are simultaneous detection and tracking of at least 20 drones. Nor should its deployment time exceed ten minutes. The minimum slant range listed for the drone sensor should not be less than 4km for a 0.001m² RCS, and a minimum of 10km for 0.05m² RCS targets.
The interceptor must defeat hostile drones by direct impact or proximity detonation.
As for the drone catcher system, it should incorporate four net catcher modules per system. A jammer subsystem will also provide C-UAS electronic attack capabilities, including radio frequency denial, and selective global navigation satellite system denial and deception.
Tactical UAV procurement
In a separate RfI issued late last year, the army expressed interest in procuring 20 tactical UAVs in the 800kg weight category. The procurement is targeted at domestic vendors and calls for vertical-take-off-and-landing or short take-off-and-landing configurations.
The platforms will be distributed equally across army formations operating in plains and mountainous terrain. Key requirements include a minimum endurance of eight hours and the ability to carry two different payload types simultaneously. It also needs to be able to carry a minimum weapons package of 200kg on at least two hardpoints.
Payload options for the sizeable UAV include electro-optic/infrared sensors, communication intelligence, foliage penetrating radar, synthetic aperture radar, electronic intelligence and communications relay.
A single system will comprise one ground control station that controls two UAVs, associated payloads and two remote vehicle terminals.
High-altitude performance requirements specify the ability for the unmanned aircraft to be launched from high-altitude elevations of 4,500m above mean sea level, and the ability to undertake sustained operations at altitudes not less than 7,315m. (Source: AMR)
03 Mar 26. Italy says Gulf countries have requested air defence systems.
- Summary
- Gulf states seeking Franco-Italian SAMP/T system
- Italy is already supplying it to Ukraine
- Minister says availability is limited
Italy has received requests for air defence and anti-drone systems from Gulf countries caught up in the conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States, Rome’s defence minister told lawmakers on Monday.
The war against Iran is expanding as Israel has attacked Lebanon in response to strikes by militant group Hezbollah, Tehran has fired missiles and drones at Gulf states, and an Iranian-made drone has hit a British air base in Cyprus.
“The Gulf countries are expressing strong concern about the evolution of the crisis and have indicated the urgent need to strengthen their defence capabilities, particularly air defence and anti-drone,” Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said.
The minister said requests included the SAMP/T, a Franco-Italian battery also known as MAMBA that can track dozens of targets and intercept 10 at once. It is the only European-made system that can intercept ballistic missiles.
Italy is already supplying SAMP/T systems to Ukraine to help it defend itself against Russia, so further availability for Gulf states is difficult.
“It is a very delicate issue, considering that these capabilities are already heavily strained and limited in light of European needs and the support provided so far to Ukraine,” Crosetto said in a parliamentary hearing.
Crosetto – who returned on Sunday from Dubai, where he had been stranded with his family following the attack on Iran – spoke to lawmakers along with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who said the conflict was a direct threat to Italy’s security. (Source: Reuters)
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