The technical characteristics of the French UAV that will work with the Rafale fighter have been revealed

France has started the development of the so-called unmanned "friend on wings" (wingman drone) for the Rafale fighter. The latest drone should become an important element of the combat capabilities of the French Air Force by 2033. Dassault Aviation has signed a contract with the Ministry of the Armed Forces of the country to modernize the Rafale and create a combat drone that will be controlled directly from the cockpit of the fighter, informs Defense News. The drone will be developed on the basis of technologies previously used in the nEUROn demonstration project. It is planned to have autonomous control capabilities, stealth technology and an internal ammunition compartment.

The project has gained urgency due to uncertainty over the successor to the Rafale within the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program, the development of which is ongoing together with Germany and Spain.

In addition, France continues to modernize its military arsenal, replacing the old Mirage 2000 with Rafale and working on the new ASN4G nuclear missile, which should become operational around 2035.