The Dassault Neuron is a French delta multirole UCAV demonstrator currently under development by Dassault Aviation in collaboration with Swedish SAAB (claim 25% of development), Greece HAI under the supervision of the European EADS. It is being produced to replace the Mirage 2000 and Rafale both for land-based use with the French Air Force and for carrier-based naval operation with the French Navy.

The aircraft may have unmanned air-to-air and bombing capabilities with the eventual ability to launch nuclear warheads. It is anticipated that it will be the first aircraft to integrate a software based stealth and survival technology (Thales Spectra ) with an advanced stealth airframe design. Another feature being contemplated is the ability to control squad flight in automatic mode from an AWACS platform, grouping the Neurons and controlling the group in a manner familiar to many RTS computer games.

History

In the middle of 2004 the French Minister of Defence Mme Michèle Alliot-Marie announced a major agreement signed between EADS, one of the world's largest manufacturer of aerospace and defence technology, Dassault Aviation, the world's largest supplier in business and military aviation, and Thales, European leader in defense electronics, for a joint-venture to realize a new unmanned military technology that covers all future activity in combat and strategic reconnaissance aeronautics.

The development of the first demonstrator is entrusted to Dassault Aviation and the manufacturing will be handled by teams from Dassault Aviation, EADS and Thales. Sub-contracts have been made with other European industrial firms, including SAAB (Sweden) in particular and to some extent HAI (Greece). Negotiation to find further partners are still in progress. The technology demonstrator is expected to fly in 2009, and a Neuron derived aircraft proposed to enter service in 2012.

External links

• Neuron Trailer, the Official Dassault trailer

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