France is concerned about the "space issue" and proposes to create a space military aircraft
In recent years, Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier has been proposing the creation of a French space plane, and recently, Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecorneuil said that the "space issue" is of the greatest concern to him.
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The minister spoke to the parliamentary defence committee, where he stressed that even the successful launch of the CSO-3 satellite by an Ariane 6 rocket was not enough to guarantee security. According to him, true sovereignty in space means having the ability to respond quickly and independently to threats, rather than relying on partners.
At the same time, Director General Trappier has been calling for the resumption of the development of a French space plane for many years. He believes that such a plane will provide a strategic advantage in future wars, especially when air defence systems are rapidly developing and satellite reconnaissance is improving.
The VEHRA hypersonic reusable aircraft concept was never implemented due to a lack of funding, and Trappier himself complains that this idea is not well received in Paris, unlike in the United States.
However, not everyone in France is so sceptical, for example, the commander of the Space Force, General Philippe Adam, recognises the prospects of a space plane, in particular for launching payloads into orbit with the possibility of reuse.
Illustrative image of the cancelled VEHRA project. Illustration: Dassault
In his opinion, such a system could revive the idea of reusable shuttles, such as the cancelled French Hermès project, but in an automated, unmanned version. This will reduce the cost of launches and provide flexibility in performing tasks.
In this context, it is worth mentioning the American company Gravitics, which recently presented a new "orbital transporter" to enhance the tactical response capabilities of the US Space Force.
It is a platform capable of launching several manoeuvre boards into orbit to quickly respond to threats in space. At the same time, some Cold War-era concepts, such as the X-20 Dyna-Soar spaceplane, which was once cancelled due to its excessive cost, are gaining relevance again thanks to new technologies.
Source: Opex360
