Launched by the General Directorate of Armament [DGA] in June 2022, the LARINAE and COLIBRI projects aim to develop “prowling” ammunition [encore appelées « vagabondes », « maraudeuses » ou encore « téléopérées]whose effectiveness was demonstrated during the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh [2020] and the war in Ukraine. However, France has lagged behind in this area compared to the United States, Russia, Israel and Poland.
The “LARINAE and COLIBRI” projects aim to neutralize a threat at 5 and 50 kilometers respectively. We have indicated that we want low-cost, obviously effective solutions that offer autonomy depending on the area and are delivered very quickly; we also want the military to be able to train very quickly,” summed up Emmanuel Chiva, the general delegate for armaments [DGA]during a parliamentary hearing.
Since then, EOS Technologies and Delair, respectively affiliated with Nexter and MBDA, have been selected for the LARINAE project, according to LettreA. COLIBRI is being developed by the tandem formed by Nexter and Delair. The proposals from Thales, Airbus and Safran were thus rejected.
However, the manufacturers involved in these two projects could hit the jackpot, according to testimonies by Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, during a hearing before the National Assembly on January 24th.
In fact, based on lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, ammunition sneaking is a “key” skill, the minister said. To the point that “our 2030 horizon in the LPM [Loi de programmation militaire]He’s said to have several thousand of them,” he announced. And ‘instead of making shares [de munitions] Undifferentiated, we will also be interested in the nature of the weapon systems to see what we need depending on the type of commitment and reactivity we need to have,” explained Mr. Lecornu.
Quite generally and in relation to the stockpiles of ammunition, which has been the talk of the last few months [et pas toujours à bon escient…]Mr. Lecornu claimed that a happy medium had to be found.
“If you listen to some commentators – maybe they work at MBDA, by the way – we should practically stock up on stocks worthy of the Cold War […] No, because it’s taxpayers’ money. Because when it comes to destroying rockets every year because the expiration date has passed, [ils seront] the first to say to the Minister: “How you ran your business,” argued Mr. Lecornu.
In addition, he continued, “We need to be able to find a target for ammunition stockpiles that corresponds to a very good level of training and a response time in the event of an operation. [ce qui dépendra des contrats opérationnels donnés aux Armées dans l’annexe du la LPM, ndlr]. Then, when it comes to keeping up with the times, it’s up to manufacturers to do what is necessary to increase their production capacities. “The war economy must be sought here,” emphasized the minister.
Even if French solutions for hunting ammunition should therefore be retained, “off-the-shelf” purchases are not excluded during the implementation period of the next LPM. “The principle is that we buy French,” but “since the beginning of the Fifth Republic there have always been exceptions,” the minister recalled. And not to mention the MQ-9 Reaper drone and the Unitary Rocket Launcher [LRU] “this is not a French brand”. And to add: “Besides [son] Replacement is more likely the HIMARS [américain] “.
However, in November, the army chief of staff [CEMAT]General Pierre Schill, on the occasion of the planned replacement of the LRUs by 2027, underlined the need to strengthen the “long-range fire” capability.
“The war in Ukraine teaches us that very widespread fires are crucial: we have to think about the solution that we have to adopt,” General Schill stated, also emphasizing the importance of armed drones, remote-controlled munitions and “consolidated” infiltration capabilities and long-range helicopters of the Army’s Light Aviation [ALAT].
Aside from the eventual ordering of M142 HIMARS systems from the United States, “off the shelf” purchases should be limited. “I can’t identify many in the coming period,” assured Mr. Lecornu.
Photo: American switchblade glancing ammunition recently mentioned for purchase by the DGA