French Armed Forces

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The Armchair Soldier
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French Armed Forces

Post by The Armchair Soldier »

A news and discussion thread for one of our closest allies, the French.

Several threads were merged to create this one on 12 May 2015, hence the odd sequence of replies below.

France Increases Defence Spending 'to Counter Extremism'
French President Francois Hollande says defence spending will rise by nearly €4bn to tackle extremist threats "at home and overseas".

He said the increase would take place over the four years from 2016, and this year's budget would be ring-fenced.

A deployment of 7,000 soldiers to protect sensitive sites across France will become permanent, he said.

France has been on high alert since the attack on the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls said only last week that French police had managed to foil a further five planned terror attacks since then.

"France is facing threats at home and overseas," Mr Hollande told reporters. "Security, protection, independence are principles that are not negotiable."

He said the 2015 defence budget will remain at €31.4bn ($35bn; £22bn), and would increase by an extra €3.8bn between 2016 and 2019.

The move will save 18,500 of the 34,000 job cuts that were planned for the military over the next five years, unnamed presidential officials said.
Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32509301

jonas
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Re: France increases defence spending 'to counter extremism'

Post by jonas »

Seems a bit strange to me that this guy has suddenly got 'tired' of drawing these cartoons. France has been forced to increase it's defence budget partly in response to Charlie Hebdo, something it can ill afford at this time.

I would imagine that some discreet 'pressure' has been brought to bear on this magazine, to try and placate the ethnic minority muslim population. Or am I being to cynical again.

http://www.theweek.co.uk/63533/charlie- ... w-mohammed

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The Armchair Soldier
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by The Armchair Soldier »

France confirms sale of 24 Rafale fighter jets to Qatar
Qatar has agreed to buy 24 Dassault Aviation-built Rafale fighter jets in a deal worth 6.3 billion euros ($7.05 billion), the French government said on Thursday, as the Gulf Arab state looks to boost its military firepower amid regional instability.

Tensions in the Middle East with conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya, as well as fears of Iran's growing influence in the area, have fuelled a desire across Sunni Gulf Arab states to modernise their military hardware.

The contract, the third this year for Dassault after deals to sell fighter jets to Egypt and India, also includes MBDA missiles, and the training of 36 Qatari pilots and 100 technicians by the French army, a French Defence Ministry official said.

"The president spoke to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who confirmed his desire to buy 24 Rafale combat planes," President Francois Hollande's office said in a statement.
Read More: http://www.france24.com/en/20150430-fra ... ghter-jets

So that's India, Egypt and now Qatar. Congratulations to France on obtaining yet another export order.

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French Foreign Legion

Post by Cutaway »

If anyone here is up for discussing anything to do with the French Foreign Legion, post here.

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Mordoror
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Re: France increases defence spending 'to counter extremism'

Post by Mordoror »

To be more accurate on the issue
This year the budget is secured at 31.4 billions of euros (previously it wa supposed to reach that through exceptional selling of sites and phone/radio frequencies, which were far from certain)

And the 3.8 billions in increase are cut (from memory) something like that + 0.5 in 2016, +0.6 in 2017, + 1 in 2018 and +15 in 2019.
Knowing that the gov will certainly change in 2017, let's wait and see if the promises are kept.

BTW 6500 positions are still to be suppressed (in support and administration)...

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Mordoror
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French Defense Procurements

Post by Mordoror »

I ll try to give updates about French defence procurements as regularly as i can

Another tranche of 21 NH90 Caiman should be ordered in the next LPM (military programmation law)
Some from the new procurement are intended for the COS (Special Operation Command)

68 were already ordered, 14 delivered, if implemented correctly that will bring the order up to 89 machines

In french : http://www.air-cosmos.com/2015/04/23/32 ... lementaire

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Phil R
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Re: France confirms sale of 24 Rafale fighter jets to Qatar

Post by Phil R »

Dassault Rafale achieves new milestone towards MBDA Meteor integration.
http://www.mbda-systems.com/mediagallery/#/news/3489

Phil R

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Re: French Foreign Legion

Post by QuaPatetOrbis »

Any good documentaries on the Legion as of late? That cover their fighting in Afghanistan or Mali?

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: France confirms sale of 24 Rafale fighter jets to Qatar

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

OK, Rafale is doing what everyone should have been doing, but luckily the other two fighters from Europe are not far behind with Meteor/ AESA combo... the gold standard for BVR, as for detection and reaching out to touch?
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

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SKB
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by SKB »

Daily Fail: 'France considering scuttling Mistral aircraft carriers rather than agree to sell the vessels to Russia because of sanctions brought in over Ukraine'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... raine.html


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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by Foxbat »

SKB wrote:Daily Fail: 'France considering scuttling Mistral aircraft carriers rather than agree to sell the vessels to Russia because of sanctions brought in over Ukraine'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... raine.html
I'll believe it when the scuttling charges go off and the pair of them slip beneath the waves!

Surely, if they can't find another buyer at all (perhaps us to replace Albion, Bulwark and Ocean?), then at the very least they could use them to replace the two oldest Mistrals in French service and either mothball or scrap Mistral and Tonnerre?

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Halidon
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by Halidon »

SKB wrote:Daily Fail: 'France considering scuttling Mistral aircraft carriers rather than agree to sell the vessels to Russia because of sanctions brought in over Ukraine'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... raine.html
I find this remarkably unlikely unless France has a burning desire to run a SINKEX on those hulls. I guess that would be one way to show off the latest Exocet model, but not exactly an economical one.

This and the China rumor seem either to just be frustration bubbling up to the surface from individuals, or a subtle effort by the French to remind their allies what a big sacrifice they are making cancelling this contract.

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Tiny Toy
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by Tiny Toy »

An inter-service CBRN forum has held its first meeting in Saumur. As a result of these talks there has been some speculation that France will introduce a new bioscience trade or corps as has been done in Canada:


Video footage of the forum here:

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Tiny Toy
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by Tiny Toy »

Anne Cullerre has been promoted to rear admiral (vice-amiral, OF-7), making her the highest ever rank for an officer en activité (on active deployment) in the Marine Nationale. She commands the oceanographic/multirole vessel D'Entrecasteaux.

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Defencenews picked this up in Feb, 2014:

"The Air Force is studying the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air as part of its search for a light aircraft to deliver a “development of force,” the source said.

Meanwhile, France’s special operations forces are looking to add various capabilities to their 14 Lockheed Martin C-130s, such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), gunship and low-level air-drop, the source said.

Robbin Laird of the ICA consulting firm, based here and in Washington, said interest in the C-130 packages reflects the growing relationship between US Marines and French and Spanish special operations forces."

I wonder if anything came of it? Especially interested if Europe now has "gunships" of its own, in the guise of French Hercs. Also, the use for KingAir seems to be different from those in UK service: A flying command post for use after troop insertation (better range and endurance than with helos).
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)


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xav
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by xav »

^ The current Fr government is to blame

Forbin and sistership Chevalier Paul (Horizon class) sailing together off Egypt
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Image


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SKB
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by SKB »

Russia no longer wants French-made Mistral helicopter carriers !
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/41a2d91a-03ca ... z3bLloiIMx

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Tiny Toy
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by Tiny Toy »

As announced late last year, Val-de-Grâce military training hospital will start closing its services and moving personnel and materials over to the Percy and Bégin hospitals as of 1 July, starting with radiotherapy. This move is similar to the closure and transfer of facilities from Headley Court to Stanford Hall, although Val-de-Grâce has considerably more kudos.

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xav
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by xav »

French Defense Minister: 8 FREMM For The Navy Followed by 5 New Generation FTI Frigates
Image
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian detailed the naval part of the update to the French Military Planning Law today on a naval base in Brittany. The French Navy will receive 8 FREMM Frigates in total (while 11 of them were originally planned) and a new generation of frigates: the FTI (Frégate de Taille Intermédiaire or Midsize Frigate) which will start being delivered in 2023 for a total of 5 hulls.
http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.ph ... ew&id=2762

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xav
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by xav »


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WhitestElephant
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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by WhitestElephant »

Does adding a sonar to the FLF make them a 1st rank frigate? I don't see it.
Though we are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are. - Lord Tennyson (Ulysses)

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Re: French Armed Forces

Post by RetroSicotte »

Well, no-one ever said the UK was the only country who can use "checkbox military" sayings to sound good in interviews. :p

Intrigued to see what will come of FREDA and the new light frigate design. At a conservative guess, I'd say the EMPAR AESA (the only the Italian FREMM have) for the FREDA in place of the PESA Herakles, and swapping the 16 SCALP for 16 Aster-30.

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