Dassault nEUROn

nEUROn
Role	Experimental Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle
Manufacturer	Dassault Aviation
First flight	scheduled for 2012 (parts are under construction)
Developed from	AVE-C Moyen Duc

The Dassault nEUROn is an experimental Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) being developed by the French company Dassault Aviation. This delta wing stealth UCAV project is the final phase of the Dassault LOGIDUC 3-step stealth "combat drone" programme. Until June 2005, the UCAV nEUROn design was a full scale evolution of the twin-engine AVE-C Moyen Duc (2001) tactical UAV whose appearance was inspired by the stealth bomber Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. The full scale replica unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2005 revealed the original design was revised to a "less ambitious" single-engine delta. The nEUROn development, originally planned by Dassault as "AVE Grand Duc", evolved to a European cooperation including Swedish Saab, Greek EAB, Swiss RUAG Aerospace, Spanish EADS CASA and Italian Alenia. As a "technology demonstrator", a reduced number of units will be produced to explore new operational concepts for a future generation of autonomous stealth fighter aircraft that will be produced in 2020 or 2025. However Dassault plan to primarily use the data collected by the demonstrator to produce derived UCAVs. The French maker states the nEUROn's Adour engine (tuned from the SEPECAT Jaguar) will be replaced in the production version by a more powerful, specific, engine based on Snecma's M88 from the Dassault Rafale.. According to the DGA, nEUROn test flights will be proceeded in France, Sweden and Italy in early 2010.

Program goals

The program has three stated goals:

1. To maintain and develop the skills of the participating European aerospace companies' design offices, which will not see any other new fighter programs before 2030 now that the Rafale, Eurofighter and JAS 39 Gripen projects are all complete or well underway.
2. To investigate and validate technologies that will be needed by 2015 to design next-generation combat aircraft.
3. To validate an innovative cooperation process by establishing a European industry team responsible for developing next-generation combat aircraft.

Platform

As a UCAV, nEUROn will be significantly larger and more advanced than other well-known UAV systems like the MQ-1 Predator, with ranges, payloads and capabilities that approach those of manned fighter aircraft. Although the project is not yet closely defined, illustrations and statements by the consortium partners indicate that the nEUROn is envisioned as a competitive system with the American J-UCAS program's Boeing X-45C or Northrop-Grumman X-47B.

Indeed, Saab's February 9, 2006 release notes that nEUROn will be a demonstrator measuring 10 m long by 12 m wide and weighing in at 5 tons. This is roughly the size of a Mirage 2000 fighter. The aircraft will have unmanned autonomous air-to-ground attack capabilities with precision guided munitions, relying on an advanced stealth airframe design to penetrate undetected. Another feature being contemplated is the ability to control squad flight in automatic mode from an advanced fighter like the Rafale or JAS 39 Gripen platform, grouping the nEUROns and controlling the group in a manner similar to many combat real-time strategy computer games.

Project history, developments

In 1999, Dassault Aviation launched its LOGIDUC stealth UCAV program, which gave birth to the Dassault AVE-D Petit Duc that flew in July 2000 as the first stealth UAV in Europe, and to the Dassault AVE-C Moyen Duc (2001). Dassault changed the third phase name "Grand Duc" - a full scale advanced version of the Moyen Duc - to the more European sounding nEUROn, as the French project was joined by European partners to reduce its development cost. Great Britain didn't join because it was already involved with an American similar program, neither Germany who desisted officially because the country was unable to afford the financial participation.

During the 2003 Paris Air Show, French Minister of Defence Mme Michèle Alliot-Marie announced a major agreement signed between the French groups EADS France, Dassault Aviation and Thales. The agreement covered a joint-venture to "realise a new unmanned military technology that covers all future activity in combat and strategic reconnaissance aeronautics" i.e. LOGIDUC's phase three, "Grand Duc".

EADS leads a HALE (High Altitude, Long Endurance) UAV project.

Meanwhile, the French defence procurement agency, DGA, acting as the program executive on behalf of the participating countries, has entrusted development of the first nEUROn UCAV demonstrator to Dassault Aviation and its European partners. Sub-contracts have been made with the French industrial firms Thales and EADS France and also with five European firms, Saab (Sweden), EAB (Greece), Alenia (Italy), RUAG Aerospace (Switzerland) and EADS CASA (Spain).

Chief project manager Thierry Prunier comes from Dassault Aviation, and the deputy project managers are Mats Ohlson of Saab and Ermanno Bertolina of Alenia. There is a single link between the executive agency (DGA) and the prime contractor (Dassault), and it will be up to the executive agency to coordinate with the government agencies of the participating countries. It will be up to the prime contractor, meanwhile, to coordinate the work with the other industries.

After Spain joined the programme in early February 2006 (Belgium could join later), work breakdown among the European industrial partners was planned as follows::

• Dassault Aviation: (launched European project in June 2003)

Master builder

Overall architectures & design

Flight control system

Final assembly

Global testing (static & flight)

Dassault claims 50% of development and is responsible for the standalone LOGIDUC programme. The nEUROn (2010) will be the third Dassault stealth UAV prototype following the AVE-D Petit Duc (2000) & AVE-C Moyen Duc (2004). The nEUROn project replaces the LOGIDUC final phase AVE Grand Duc.

• Saab: (joined in December 22, 2005)

Overall design

Equipped fuselage

Avionics

Fuel system

Flight testing

Saab claims 25% of development and is also the coordinator for the other Swedish corporations involved.

• Alenia Aeronautica: (joined in mid-2005)

Weapon firing system

Smart Integrated Weapon Bay

Air data system

Electrical system

Flight testing

Thanks to the technologies developed for the UAV prototype Sky-x (2003) Alenia Aeronautica claims to is the first industrial partner with 22% share of the entire programme.

• EADS CASA: (joined in February 7, 2006)

Wing

Ground control station

Data-link integration

• EAB: (joined in January 11, 2006)

Rear fuselage

Tail pipe

Integration bench.

• RUAG: (joined in mid-2005)

Wind tunnel tests

Weapons carriage

• Thales: (joined in June 14, 2005)

Data-link (STANAG 7085 compliant)

Command interface

• EADS France: (joined in June 2003)

Undisclosed

Funding

The contract is valued at €405 million, and allows industry to begin a three-year system definition and design phase with related low-observability studies. This phase will be followed by the development and assembly phase, and by a first flight in 2011. It is planned that the 2-year flight-test program (2010-2012) will entail about 100 sorties, including the launch of a laser-guided bomb tentatively scheduled for 2012. The initial €400 million budget was increased by €5 million in 2006 due to the addition of a modular bomb bay including a designator and a laser-guided bomb.

On February 2006, DGA had announced that France will provide €202.5 million, half of the program's €405 million ($480 million) budget, while the remaining funds will be supplied by the other participating member nations. In December 2005, the Swedish defence ministry reported the national share would be €75 million, of which €66 million would be financed by Saab AB. The cost of Spain's participation to the program is estimated at €35.5 million, spread over the 2007-2012 period.

Derived production UCAV unit cost is estimated by Dassault to €25 million.

Specifications

Data from

General characteristics

• Crew: 0

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 0.8

See also

• Dassault LOGIDUC
• European defence procurement

Related development

• 2000: Dassault AVE-D Petit Duc (stealth UAV)
• 2001: Dassault AVE-C Moyen Duc (stealth UAV)

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• 2003: Northrop-Grumman X-47B Pegasus
• 2004: BAE Corax
• 2006: Lockheed Martin Polecat
• 2006: EADS Barracuda
• 2007: Boeing X-45
• 2007: BAE Taranis

External links

• Dassault nEUROn page
• Defense-Aeropace.com (Feb 10/06) - Contract Launches Euro UCAV Demonstrator. Collects various facts about the program.
• AFCEA Signal Magazine (September 2005) - nEUROn Gains Altitude. Excellent article.
• nEUROn programme (Paris Air Show 2005) - Europe’s UCAV Demonstrator Neuron Will Be a Stealth Platform (European Security, June 10, 2005)
• nEUROn project (Paris Air Show 2004) - nEUROn : Europe’s UCAV Demonstrator (European Security, June 10, 2004)

Media links

• video: nEUROn (AVE Grand Duc version) promotional featurette, June 11, 2005 (Dassault Aviation)
• video: nEUROn, AVE-C & AVE-D design and flight, Dassault Activities (Dassault Aviation)
• gallery: nEUROn (single-engine version) official gallery by Dassault (Scale model replica photographies & CG concept artworks)
• scale model: nEUROn's official 1:48 scale model by Dassault

Related releases

• Unveilling the nEUROn Europe’s UCAV demonstrator by Dassault (June 11, 2005)
• The European technology demonstrator nEUROn, February 9, 2006, French Defence Ministry
• Saab (Feb 9/06) - Important player in nEUROn
• Spanish Government (Dec 30/05) - Agreement with France for a Demonstrator of an Unmanned Combat Aircraft
• Press release: nEUROn, First intermediate synthesis review (12th of Sept., 2006)
• Thales joins Neuron UCAV programme (European Security)
• Drones in France. An official report by the French Ministry of Defence about the national history of drones.
• DARPA - J-UCAS Program. Includes the Boeing X-45C and the Northrop-Grumman X-47B.
• See all Defense Industry Daily coverage of the J-UCAS program and its platforms.
• Airforce Technology - X-45 J-UCAV Joint Unmanned Combat Air System, USA
• Airforce Technology - X-47 Pegasus Naval Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV-N), USA
• Northrop Grumman Analysis Center, 3rd Joint-Industry Forum (Feb 16/05) - Joint Unmanned Combat Air System and US Military Transformation (7.2 MB, PDF Format). Excellent presentation that explains the interest in UCAVs and the effect of removing the pilot on the ability to provide persistent coverage of an area.
• Defense Industry Daily (Jan 24/06) - British CORAX UAV Joins UCAV Trend.
• Dassault Aviation - Logiduc program. The precursor to the nEUROn. The Petit Duc ("European Scops Owl"), codenamed AVE-D, was the first stealth unmanned aircraft to fly in Europe on July 18 2000. It was followed by the AVE-C Moyen Duc ("Long-eared Owl") in 2001. The third and final version Grand Duc ("Eurasian Eagle Owl") would become the multinational nEUROn.
• Saab - SHARC Program. A precursor to its work on nEUROn in many ways, and one of the main reasons Saab has a leading role alongside Dassault.