Will the force be with VADER?
France has two VADER aircraft in service with a third expected in 2023. (Photo: Jean-Marc Tanguy)
For eight years France has leased light ISR aircraft from CAE Aviation for operations in the Sahel as well as in the Central African Republic, Iraq and Libya.
However, starting in July 2021 the French Air and Space Force expects to deploy its own light surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft (based on the Beechcraft King Air 350) under the overdue Vecteur Aéroporté de Détection, d’Orientation et de Reconnaissance (VADER) programme, formerly known as ALSR.
Two King Air 350s were delivered in July 2020 by Sabena Technics and Thales under a contract dating from June 2016.
A third, scheduled for delivery
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Personalised news alerts
- Daily and weekly newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Air Warfare
-
NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability moves ahead with development contracts
The Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) programme is a transnational effort across NATO to replace a range of helicopters which are expected to begin retiring from the mid-2030s.
-
Boeing to upgrade software for KC-46A tanker
The KC-46A upgrades will improve the platform’s mission readiness, performance in challenged airspace and rapid deployment capabilities.
-
Dutch and Austrian governments collaborate on Embraer C-390 acquisition at Farnborough
The two nations will split the acquisition of the C-390s to boost their airlift capacities.