Article Posted on : - Mar 11, 2015

nEUROn UCAV technology demonstrator. Photo: Dassault Aviation

SAINT-CLOUD, FRANCE (BNS): With the completion of its 100th flight in February, the nEUROn UCAV technology demonstrator has concluded its test campaign in France.

Dassault Aviation said throughout the entire campaign, the nEUROn and associated equipment demonstrated exemplary availability and reliability.

In the first phase, the purpose of the tests was to open the flight envelope (including with weapon bay doors open), to test the electro-optical sensor and to evaluate datalink performance.

In the second phase, most flights were dedicated to infrared and electromagnetic signature/detection confrontations against operational systems.

These confrontations, which produced all the expected results, were performed under the authority of the French defense procurement agency DGA. The nEUROn, in full stealth configuration, was operated by Dassault Aviation.

A new chapter now opens for the nEUROn with evaluations that will take place in Italy, then Sweden.

nEUROn is a European programme for an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator.

The nEUROn program is designed to validate the development of complex technologies representing all mission systems: high-level flight control and stealth, launching real air-to-ground weapons from an internal bay, integration in the C4I environment, innovative industrial collaboration processes, etc.

The demonstrator made its first flight on December 1, 2012.