French Navy upgrade and discussion
- Thread starter Picdelamirand-oil
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Oman opens ports to French Navy submarines
With diplomatic dialogue hotting up between France and Oman, the French Navy has recently obtained an agreement to use Oman's ports as a rear base for its activities in the Indian Ocean.
It's a reinforcement against the Chinese navy, isn't it? And France is always saying that it is bordering the Indian Ocean...
Oman's probably going the Djibouti way. They started by giving India berthing rights. But if more and more countries join in, it will end up working against Indian interests in the long run.
To balance things out, Oman may even invite Russia and China.
The UAE base is for the air force and the Oman base is for the navy. I think France would agree to share the UAE base with India, but perhaps the UAE would have something to say? Maybe they would even propose an independent base to India?
Of course, UAE will have to agree. But i don't see any issues there.
I think we need a base of operations in the region to evacuate Indians when the time arises. Too many Indians passport holders work in this part of the world.
We like to be neutral in the ME. And we don't need to have a base there to protect citizens. Plus we need ground forces for that, there are too many people.
I thought I was clear about evacuation infrastructure. Did not say protection.
Yeah, I know, but we don't need infrastructure for evacuating people, the host country will provide that. What we need is access to such facilities during emergencies.
Vers une coordination plus étroite entre l’Atlantique 2 Standard 6 et le Rafale M pour la lutte anti-navire
Towards closer coordination between the Atlantique 2 Standard 6 and the Rafale M in anti-ship combat
These days, acquiring operational superiority over an adversary requires collaborative combat, made possible by recent technological advances in digital technology, communications and artificial intelligence. And this means developing new tactical concepts, as the French Navy is currently doing.
For example, Naval Cooperative Watch [NCW] consists of establishing a tactical situation using information collected by various sensors installed on board several ships in a flotilla, which can then be used to 'deal with' a threat by choosing the unit best placed to do so. This is what the multi-mission frigate [FREMM] Bretagne recently did, destroying a representative target of an anti-ship missile by firing an Aster 30 based on data sent by the S1850M radar of the air defence frigate Chevalier Paul.
In 2020, during the Foch mission, a nuclear attack submarine [SNA], sent ahead of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, designated a "fictitious" threat to Rafale M aircraft, via the E2C Hawkeye airborne surveillance aircraft and the L-11 tactical data link.
But collaborative combat can also multiply the effects against an adversary. This was the aim of the OCEANIS exercise, which involved Atlantique 2 Standard 6 maritime patrol aircraft deployed by the 21F and 23F squadrons, as well as Rafale M aircraft from the 11F squadron.
During the exercise, an Atlantique 2 from the 21F squadron and a Rafale M carried out a "coordinated firing of two AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles at a target representing an enemy warship", said the French Navy on 14 June. Subsequently, two maritime patrol aircraft dropped two MU90 torpedoes to neutralise a "hostile submarine" that was threatening to attack a "friendly frigate".
This last sequence is not insignificant: during its latest deployments, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier was systematically accompanied by an Atlantique 2... This made up for the - temporary - absence of an SNA in its escort.
"This multi-kill combat training demonstrates the capability of the Atlantique 2's Standard 6 armament and its excellent coordination capabilities, both with naval units and fighter aircraft", emphasised the French Navy.
It added: "Thanks in particular to the analysis of live ammunition firings, its feedback will provide a number of lessons: the use of the Atlantique 2 in anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare, its combat coordination with the Rafale M and its integration into an air-sea force. The exercise will thus enhance the Naval Aviation's preparation for high-intensity combat".
Declared operational in 2022, the Atlantique 2 will be upgraded to standard 6 and fitted with new equipment (tactical computer, sensors, operator display consoles, optronic and acoustic intelligence systems, editor's note) as well as a detection capability with the Thales Searchmaster active antenna radar. It is also equipped with a new version of the LOTI [Logiciel Opérationnel de Traitement de l'Information] mission software, a latest-generation digital acoustic processing subsystem [STAN] and the TSA2542 IFF interrogator.
Towards closer coordination between the Atlantique 2 Standard 6 and the Rafale M in anti-ship combat
These days, acquiring operational superiority over an adversary requires collaborative combat, made possible by recent technological advances in digital technology, communications and artificial intelligence. And this means developing new tactical concepts, as the French Navy is currently doing.
For example, Naval Cooperative Watch [NCW] consists of establishing a tactical situation using information collected by various sensors installed on board several ships in a flotilla, which can then be used to 'deal with' a threat by choosing the unit best placed to do so. This is what the multi-mission frigate [FREMM] Bretagne recently did, destroying a representative target of an anti-ship missile by firing an Aster 30 based on data sent by the S1850M radar of the air defence frigate Chevalier Paul.
In 2020, during the Foch mission, a nuclear attack submarine [SNA], sent ahead of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, designated a "fictitious" threat to Rafale M aircraft, via the E2C Hawkeye airborne surveillance aircraft and the L-11 tactical data link.
But collaborative combat can also multiply the effects against an adversary. This was the aim of the OCEANIS exercise, which involved Atlantique 2 Standard 6 maritime patrol aircraft deployed by the 21F and 23F squadrons, as well as Rafale M aircraft from the 11F squadron.
During the exercise, an Atlantique 2 from the 21F squadron and a Rafale M carried out a "coordinated firing of two AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles at a target representing an enemy warship", said the French Navy on 14 June. Subsequently, two maritime patrol aircraft dropped two MU90 torpedoes to neutralise a "hostile submarine" that was threatening to attack a "friendly frigate".
This last sequence is not insignificant: during its latest deployments, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier was systematically accompanied by an Atlantique 2... This made up for the - temporary - absence of an SNA in its escort.
"This multi-kill combat training demonstrates the capability of the Atlantique 2's Standard 6 armament and its excellent coordination capabilities, both with naval units and fighter aircraft", emphasised the French Navy.
It added: "Thanks in particular to the analysis of live ammunition firings, its feedback will provide a number of lessons: the use of the Atlantique 2 in anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare, its combat coordination with the Rafale M and its integration into an air-sea force. The exercise will thus enhance the Naval Aviation's preparation for high-intensity combat".
Declared operational in 2022, the Atlantique 2 will be upgraded to standard 6 and fitted with new equipment (tactical computer, sensors, operator display consoles, optronic and acoustic intelligence systems, editor's note) as well as a detection capability with the Thales Searchmaster active antenna radar. It is also equipped with a new version of the LOTI [Logiciel Opérationnel de Traitement de l'Information] mission software, a latest-generation digital acoustic processing subsystem [STAN] and the TSA2542 IFF interrogator.
So will this lead to joint surveillance of IoR and intel sharing between the two navies?
Indian and French Navy to carry out joint surveillance
China has been deploying nuclear submarines and naval ships loaded with missiles near Somalia (East African coast) as part of its anti-piracy measures. Their growing presence in the Indian Ocean has raised concerns, prompting the Indian and French navies to begin joint surveillance in the Southern Indian Ocean. The two navies may later collaborate on joint operations too.
