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The French Navy (Marine Nationale) Floreal-class Frigate Vendemiaire joined the US Navy Stennis Carrier Strike Group (CSG) on April 30 2016 in the South China Sea. The French surveillance frigate joined USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and his escort, consisting of three Arleigh Burke-class Destroyers and a Ticonderoga-class cruiser.

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The French Navy (Marine Nationale) FREMM (multi-mission frigate) Provence reached its homeport in Brest on April 21 after five months of distant deployment. Newly received by the French Navy in the summer of 2015, FREMM Provence sailed from Brest on November 15, 2015 for its first deployment. This was a long and demanding journey that took the vessel and its crew all the way to the South China Sea.

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French Army Leclerc upgrade gets under way

Nexter Systems is moving forward with the upgrade of the French Army Leclerc main battle tanks (MBT) and armoured recovery vehicles (ARV).

In March 2015, the French Procurement Agency, the DGA, awarded Nexter Systems a EUR300 million (USD339.5 million) contract covering 200 Renovated Leclerc MBTs and 18 Renovated Leclerc ARV.

The first two prototypes of the Renovated Leclerc will be completed at Nexter's Roanne facility in 2018, and following trials the remaining 198 will be upgraded from 2020 through to 2028. There is the possibility that additional vehicles could be upgraded, as a total of 406 Leclercs were delivered to the French Army up to 2007.

This upgrade will enable the MBT to make best use of its firepower and mobility within the future SCORPION joint tactical groups (GTIA). It includes the installation of an open electronic architecture, the new Contact tactical radio system, and the SCORPION Information and Command System (SICS) and associated displays, which will be installed in all of the French Army's existing and future armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs).

The survivability of Leclerc will be improved through the development of kits that can be installed prior to deployment. These include a package that provides an enhanced level of protection against mines and improvised explosive devices (IED) and another to provide a higher level of protection against rocket-propelled grenades. It will also be able to accommodate with the Barage IED (improvised explosive device) jammer.

The Leclerc's Nexter Systems 120 mm F1 smoothbore gun will be retained and in addition to firing the current range of ammunition, it will also fire a new Nexter Munitions high-explosive (HE) round that is under development.

This insensitive-compliant round is designated the 120 mm HE M3M and will feature a base fuze that can be set for impact, delay, and air burst modes and is intended to be effective during urban and counter-insurgency operations.

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The French Navy (Marine Nationale) announced that it took another step in the interoperability between the V-22 Osprey and the Mistral-class LHD Dixmude on May 2nd 2016. While V-22s have been tested with the Mistral-class several times to date (they were even officially qualified with the Mistral-class last year) it is the first time that the Bell-Boeing tilt-rotor aircraft was qualified for "blades and wings folding and long time parking" aboard the French Navy LHD.
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According to the French Navy: "all these capabilities will enable to achieve operational interoperability to transport troops or logistical supply, similar to the C2 Greyhound on the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle".
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Similar qualifications are expected to take place on board aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

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GULF OF CADIZ (May 2, 2016) An MV-22B Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Africa,operates from the flight deck of the French amphibious assault ship BPC Dixmude (L9015) in the Gulf of Cadiz. The Marines worked with French Naval Forces to improve interoperability and the ability of the French Navy and U.S. Marine assets to mutually support each other. (U.S. Marine Corps photos by Sgt. Kassie L. McDole/Released)

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test bd said:

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Naval Today said:

DGA, the French General Directorate for Armament, announced that it has started a new testing campaign for its unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), Dassault nEUROn.

The aim of this round of testing, as DGA said, is to study the use of the UCAV in a naval context.

DGA said the campaign would also include sea trials aboard the French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle. The aircraft will subsequently undergo electromagnetic signature measurement in Bruz, France.

nEUROn is a European program for an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator, conducted by Dassault Aviation as prime contractor under the authority of French defense procurement agency DGA.

The aircraft is 10 meters long, has a wingspan of 12.5 meters and an empty weight of 5 tons. It is powered by a Rolls-Royce Turbomeca “Adour” engine.

The project is joined by Italian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek and Swiss governments acting together with their related industrial teams, Alenia, SAAB, EADS-CASA, Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) and RUAG.

Launched in 2005, nEUROn started first flights in December 2012 and reached a milestone of 100 flights in March 2015.

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French Navy Destroyer Jean Bart D615 on the Bosphorus northbound towards the BlackSea.

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