Anemone - Archived 10/1997

Outlook

Orientation

Sponsor

Delegation Generale pour l'Armament (DGA)

10/14 Rue Saint Dominique

F-75997 Paris Armees

France

Service d'Approvisionnement Materiel de l'Aero-nautique Navale (SAMAN)

F-78117 Toussus Marine

France

Contractors

Dassault Electronique SA

55 Quai Carnot

PO Box 301

F-92214 Saint Cloud Cedex

France

Tel: +33 1 4602 5000

Telex: 250787

Thomson-CSF

Division Systemes Avioniques

178 Boulevard Gabriel Peri

F-92240 Malakoff

France

Tel: +33 1 665 44 22

Telex: 204780

Dassault Aviation

33 Rue du Prof. Victor Pauchet

PO Box 32

F-92420 Vaucresson

France

Tel: +33 1 4741 7921

Telex: 203755

Dassault Electronique SA is the prime contractor for Anemone with Thomson-CSF as the main subcontractor. Dassault Aviation is responsible for system integration.

Maritime Reconnaissance

Air-to-Surface Track-While-Scan

Ground Mapping

Air Search

Air Tracking

Air Ranging

Technical Data

No details have, as yet, been released concerning the technical specification of the Anemone radar system.

Variants/Upgrades

Problems with the development of the RBE radar for the Rafale-M and severe financial limitations on the French defense budget as a whole have seriously delayed the entire Rafale program. In addition, the Rafale-M aircraft will be restricted to air superiority tasking with anti-surface strike limited to iron bombs. As a result, the Super Etendards will have to soldier along for much longer than expected. This implies a major Anenome upgrade is possible. In addition, a version of the radar may be developed for a strike version of naval Rafale.

Program Review

A contract was signed in late 1986 by the French Directorate of Armament and Dassault setting the Super Etendard update program on a firm footing. Also in 1986, France reaffirmed its commitment to organic naval air power by laying down a nuclear powered aircraft carrier. Detailed definition was under way in 1987 following the study contract award. Test flight trials took place in 1990, with the aircraft returning to French Navy service from 1991 onwards. The program ended in 1994 with the completion of the 50^th aircraft. The Super Etendard NG program will extend the life of the aircraft until early in the 21st Century.

In August 1988, McDonnell Douglas asked Dassault Electronique for a proposal to supply a version of Anemone for the Hornet 2000 upgrade of the F/A-18. McDonnell Douglas has attempted to sell the Hornet 2000 to the French Navy as a replacement for the Crusader. In that year, Dassault Electronique and Westinghouse signed an agreement covering the exchange of processing technology and numerical bus systems for defense electronics applications. Initially, the deal allowed Dassault's 32 bit processor, macro-hybrid technology to be adapted to US standards.

Rafale B is intended to replace Crusaders in the air superiority role. The upgraded Super Etendard NG will continue in its long-range attack, anti-ship, and ASMP standoff nuclear missile delivery roles. There have been suggestions that an upgraded Anemone radar will be adopted for at least a part of the French Navy's Rafale B. This implies that any aircraft so fitted will be allocated a strike role rather than air superiority/interception. Such a policy would have much to commend it given the small size and limited air group envisaged for the aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle. It would also be in keeping with the policy laid down during Mirage F-1 and Mirage 2000 production.

Funding

The program is being carried out with French Defense Ministry funding, under a contract awarded by the Delegation Generale pour l'Armement (DGA).

Recent Contracts

Timetable

Worldwide Distribution

France (50 on Super Etendard)

Forecast Rationale

Argentina is the sole Super Etendard operator other than France. Although a potential client for Anemone radar, economic realities rule this out as a practical proposition. Attrition losses have reduced the Argentine fleet to a single serviceable aircraft. The prospects for further Super Etendard and related Anemone sales must be considered remote. The chances of Anemone being specified for use on any other new-build aircraft are equally remote. It is inconceivable that aircraft in the F-16 or Tornado class would be specified with an Anemone radar fit. Light attack aircraft in the Hawk 200 class would be a more likely prospect, but the availability of the existing multimode radars for these presents formidable difficulties. The French Navy has been instructed to consider only the acquisition of the naval version of Rafale. Some of these may end up as Anemone-equipped strike variants, but not within the forecast period.

Of existing Agave users, only India seems to be a plausible candidate. India presently operates eight Maritime Strike Jaguar aircraft equipped with Agave. This fleet was originally intended to be 18 aircraft, but procurement was stopped at eight in 1992. There are some reports that deliveries resumed in 1994 with nine aircraft being delivered. In view of India's growing presence as a regional superpower and its interventionist policies in the area, these aircraft are of considerable importance. Certainly they are viewed as a major threat by other navies in the region. Their upgrade, and indeed the expansion of the maritime attack fleet by conversion of Jaguars assigned to other roles, is therefore probable. However, the existing Agave radar is quite adequate and its replacement by Anemone probably falls into the "nice-but-not-essential" category.

The problem with the Anemone is that it is a dedicated maritime strike radar. There are now a number of multi-mode radars on the market at comparable cost which provide equivalent strike capability yet also add abilities in other areas. These include the Thomson-CSF RDY radar now entering production for the Mirage 2000-5. Anemone has the advantage of being a very small radar (determined by the accessible volume in the nose of a Super Etendard) which should make it suitable for use in light-strike and ex-Russian aircraft. Again, these markets are already well addressed by existing multi-mode radars available at much lower costs. Grifo is perhaps the most notable system here.

With the delivery of the last radars for the Super Etendard upgrade program in 1994, production of Anemone has ceased. For the reasons discussed above, no further sales of Super Etendard/Anemone are projected. We have eliminated provision for upgrade/ retrofit sales on the grounds that most sales will go to the Thomson-CSF RDY system, while those for lighter aircraft will go to Grifo and its British competitor, Blue Hawk.

Ten-Year Outlook

No production is forecast.