By RFIPosted on 19-12-2019Changed on 19-12-2019 at 19:49
In the context of Operation Barkhane, the French armies successfully carried out the testing of armed drones from the Niamey air base in Niger. The drones will therefore now be used in an offensive manner in the Sahel.
From now on, each drone will have the capacity to carry under its wings four laser-guided bombs of 250 kilos, the GBU 12. France having the Reaper drone acquired "off the shelf" in the United States, that is to say that weapon system had been purchased as a whole, without having to develop it. It has been permanently deployed in the Sahel since 2016, but its role was limited to observation. Three of the long endurance drones are deployed in the region out of the six in the French army.
For the air force, which has long favored the fighter plane, arming drones is a revolution. Two years ago, the Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly made the commitment to do so. Faced with the vastness of the theater of operation that is the Sahelo-Saharan strip, the unmanned aircraft has become essential.
24 hour autonomy
The Reaper, the mower in French, is a four-ton, 20-meter plane. Its autonomy can reach 24 hours, a completely new persistence for an aerial vector capable of transmitting quality video images in real time.
But it's not just a machine. The man is in the center and he will remain it, specifies the ministry for the armies. Image operator, pilot, intelligence officer, on the ground, each drone requires a crew of four. It is now their responsibility to drop bombs.
► To listen: Drones in West Africa: buy, build or rent
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