The Directorate General of Armament (DGA) formalized at the end of last week the launch of the flight tests of the AirMaster C. radar developed by Thales as part of the Dragon program, this compact sensor was installed on a specially modified SA330 PUMA helicopter. This is no coincidence: Airmaster is called upon to play a central role in the equipment of the Guépard H160m, the future light helicopter of the French armed forces designed by Airbus Helicopters.
A radar cut for the cheetah
The tests take place at the DGA flight test center in Istres, in the Bouches-du-Rhône. The objective is to test the radar under conditions close to those encountered on a mission. Vibration, extreme temperatures, multi-target detection in a degraded environment: everything is scrutinized. Technical integration with on -board calculators and military data buses is also part of the program.
What distinguishes Airmaster C is above all its architecture. It is an AESA radar (Active Electronalely Scanned Array) operating in X band, built from silicon-gemanium components. Result: a lighter system, less energy -consuming, but without compromise on performance. He is able to operate in different modes (surveillance, mapping, continuing mobile targets, etc.) without material change.
The device has advanced processing power, combined with open software architecture. It can accommodate artificial intelligence modules, capable for example to analyze the tactical situation or automatically recognize targets from the radar data collected. An “interleaving mode” feature also makes it possible to juggle between several radar modes in parallel, without loss of coverage.
Airmaster C is designed to lighten the cognitive load of operators, while accelerating decision -making on board. A major asset for missions as different as the infiltration of special forces, armed recognition or maritime surveillance.
Airmaster C was selected to equip the Guépard H160M ordered as part of the HIL (Léger HIL helicopter) program. Ultimately, 169 aircraft must be delivered, including 20 by 2030 according to the military programming law. The Army will receive 80 copies, Navy 49 and the Air and Space Army 40.
The H160M, also modular, will harmonize the current fleet of light helicopters from the French forces, while providing common and modernized capacities.
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