The Cheetah, future helicopter flagship of the three French armies

went to meet the director of the HIL program (Joint Helicopter Light) within the Directorate General of Armament, at the Paris Air Show, to discuss the future of the Cheetah, future generation of helicopters French armies, whose first deliveries are expected as early as 2026.

At the Paris Air Show, innovations were legion on the space reserved for the Ministry of the Armed Forces. In addition to CORVUS, a mini-drone repairable on the ground, the one that was still called the Ministry of Defense until 2017 has unveiled an impressive model of the future Cheetah , developed as part of the program HIL(Helicopter Interarmées Léger), and greeted by a curious Emmanuel Macron during his passage on the 2019 edition of the show. The aircraft, at the forefront of technology, is intended to replace the current five fleets to form a unique one, made available to each of the French armies.

A state-of-the-art device that will equip the three national armies

At Bourget, the Ministry of the Armed Forces presented a model of the Cheetah, a helicopter that will be responsible for a few years to meet the needs of the three armies: the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. The Cheetah is planned to replace the five fleets currently in service: the Dauphin and Panther of the Navy, Gazelle and Alouette III of the Army, and the Fennec of the Air Force.

"THE HELICOPTER IS the LAST GENERATION"

For the director of the HIL program within the Directorate General of Armament, Emeline, whom we met in the furnace of Le Bourget, the helicopter "  must be highly versatile because it must ensure the missions of the three armies ... We will define this helicopter with a common base. It will be equipped with different systems to adapt to the mission. The helicopter is of the last generation, and it embeds state-of-the-art equipment. "

If the Cheetah is destined for the three armies, he will have a different role for each one. For the Army, within the Army Light Aviation (ALAT), the aircraft will perform ground support missions, armed reconnaissance, and infiltration of special forces. For the navy, the Cheetah will carry out anti-surface warfare, maritime counterterrorism and surveillance missions. Finally, he will carry out airspace security and search and rescue missions within the Air Force.

A large fleet of 169 helicopters

The minister of the armed forces plans to have a fleet of 169 helicopters with a first delivery, it, planned in 2026 (instead of 2028 initially). "  There will be a staggering deliveries over a number of years. We are in the preparation phase, having conducted a risk-reduction study, which is being completed, and which allowed to define the preliminary architecture of the helicopter,  "said our interlocutor.

"THE CHEETAH WILL BE DEPLOYED WHEREVER THE ARMED FORCES ARE LOCATED"

The ministry intends to continue this phase with a complementary militarization study, before launching the program in 2021, although the latter was scheduled for 2022, initially. The Cheetah "  will be deployed wherever the French armed forces are based today," says the director of the HIL program.

The mastodons of the sector collaborate in the development of the Cheetah

As we can imagine (without being derogatory), the Ministry of the Armed Forces obviously did not go it alone to launch the anticipated program of the future HIL. "  The risk assessment study was notified to Airbus Helicopters. We are talking about the civil helicopter, which is the H160, developed by the company, which will be put into service in 2020. So we are working with Airbus but also with other equipment manufacturers, which will contribute to this militarization,  "confirms Emeline.

Regarding connectivity of the Cheetah, "  we find obviously, in terms of militarization, all weapons, with two armaments on each side, which can carry axial weapons and other types. In port, you will find machine guns.

 Avionics is also modified to have a mission system, with a tactical situation that provides an opportunity to know how the forces are positioned. "  This latest-generation avionics is being developed by Thales,  " says the director of the HIL program, confirming that the ministry has surrounded itself with the most advanced groups to design its future flagship aircraft.

"A DESIRE TO CONTROL SUPPORT COSTS"

The cost of Cheetah is in any case not yet stopped. "  It will be at the launch,  " says Emeline. Without explicitly mentioning any economy, it is possible that the French State decided to lead its boat intelligently. "  The major element of this program is the desire to have a single fleet for all armies. This choice was dictated by a desire to control the costs of support, so we will be able, thanks to this choice, pool the entire support system, share resources such as training, which will be joint.

Le Bourget was an opportunity for the Directorate General of Armament to present to the Armed Forces what will be their future helicopter, which will replace the five fleets of older generations, who will still continue to fly as they will be not replaced by the Cheetah.