Some no longer believed in it. On July 26, 2022, the General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) enabled the Grounding System for Operational Launchers (SMTCOPS) of the three armies (land, air, sea) and the gendarmerie. This market of 80 million euros was notified in 2016 for 750 copies. The first units will be delivered at the end of the year, says the DGA on Twitter.
Aerial launches at 9000 meters altitude
Designed by Zodiac Aerosafety Systems, a subsidiary of Safran, it is a set consisting of a Phantom 400 wing, communication and navigation technologies, and thermal and ballistic protection. It also has load capacity for self-piloted equipment, which will allow packages to be launched that can “follow up to 18 paratroopers simultaneously,” specifies the DGA, noting that this equipment has not yet been enabled.
But above all, it offers a very high jump capacity with heavy payloads for launches from C130 Hercules and A400M aircraft.
Commands tired of waiting
For these jumps, the operational jumpers will have a new suit capable of protecting them from very low temperatures and a new helmet equipped with a breathing circuit.
The arrival of this equipment more than 5 years after the notification of the contract calls into question the ability of the DGA to quickly certify equipment, particularly those necessary for the missions of the COS (Special Forces Command) units.
According to Intelligence Online, two elite units, the CPA 10 (Air Parachute Commando No. 10) and the Marine Commando Hubert, as well as members of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DRM), were authorized in 2021 to equip themselves with Hi-5 parachutes. from Airborne. Systems that allow falls to less than 8000 meters.
With the appointment of Sébastien Lecornu as Minister of the Armed Forces, the DGA also changed course. Joël Barre was replaced by Emmanuel Chiva, former director of the Defense Innovation Agency (AID) to represent this administration. Thierry Carlier has been appointed deputy director general of the Directorate General for Armaments (DGA). The General Armament Engineer has been appointed General Inspector of the Armed Forces. She is the first woman to be promoted to 5-star general in France.
Source: BFM TV
