France: launching of ARCHANGE program


At the ministerial investment committee of November 18, 2019, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly launched the production of the ARCHANGE program, which will equip strategic intelligence aircraft with a Universal Electronic Warfare Capability (CUGE in French).


France launching of ARCHANGE program The French Minister of the Armies is launching the ARCHANGE program which is based on three Dassault Aviation Falcon 8X platforms that will replace the Transall C-160 Gabriel aircraft (Picture source: Ministère des Armées)


The French Minister of the Armies, Florence Parly, has just launched the program ARCHANGE, for ‘Avions de Renseignement à CHArge utile de Nouvelle GEnération’ (intelligence airplanes with payload of new generation). ARCHANGE is based on three Dassault Aviation Falcon 8X transformed into strategic intelligence aircraft “with a universal electronic warfare capability”.

Result of ten years of studies on advanced technologies, all the sensors constituting the payload will be developed by Thales. This payload, based on innovative technologies (multi-polarization antennas, artificial intelligence to improve automatic processing), will detect and analyze radar and communication signals with integrated sensors on business aircraft.

Led by the Directorate General of Armaments, ARCHANGE will notably allow the interception of radio and radar transmissions. The future systems will significantly increase French airborne electromagnetic intelligence capabilities and contribute to the particular effort on the strategic function "knowledge and anticipation", a guarantee of France's decision-making autonomy and its superiority in operation.