Dassault Neuron - Stealth ucav - Programme 2009

Paris Air Show 2009 The nEUROn you can see behind me is the upcoming unmanned combat aircraft. We are going to meet Thierry Prunier who will tell us a bit more about it. Mr. Prunier, hello. Hello. You're the nEUROn program director. Yes I am. What is this program exactly ? The nEUROn program is a technology demonstration program (TDP). nEUROn is an UCAV (unmanned combat air vehicle). And its main feature is to be a stealth UCAV. Which means that it is very difficult to detect by the opponents. So around Dassaut Aviation which is the prime contractor, we find the Swedes of Saab Aerospace, the Italians of Alenia Aeronautica, the Spaniards of EADS CASA, the Greeks of Hellenic Aerospace Industry and the Swiss of RUAG. Each contributor joined the program to supplement the skills of its own. The Swedes, in the field of avionics and airframe, the Italians, in the field of battle and sensor board, us, Dassaut Aviation, it is the flight controls and everything that contributes to the stealth and the other partners also have their own competitive clusters that are used. So really the idea is to bring together relevant partners to make the best of the best. The purpose of this demonstration is to convince operationals that a stealthy UCAV is useful, to demonstrate that stealth, to not be detected while we are able to reconnoitre a specific area and to run simulated attacks. This project officially started back in February 2006. It is, roughly, halfway. The maiden flight is planned for early 2012. And now, we are busy making pieces of fuselage by machining parts and we're also doing pieces of software that we will begin to assemble in the computers. So, the first trials, one year before the first flight, we'll start going to the fixed point with th engine, rolling on the airstrip, before flying in early 2012.