01 April 2015 by Kim Helfrich - defenceWeb

President Jacob Zuma wearing his SA National Defence Force (SANDF) commander-in-chief hat has committed South Africa to more than R1,4 billion in expenditure over the next 12 months on three separate out-of-country military deployments.

None of the three – to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan and in the Mozambique Channel – are new. All three see South African airmen, medics, sailors and soldiers stand alongside uniformed counterparts from Africa and other parts on the world in either peace support or peacekeeping missions (DRC and Sudan) and keeping territorial waters safe from pirates (Mozambique).

Zuma yesterday (March 31) informed Parliament of the “extended employment of troops” according to a statement issued by the Presidency.

A total of 1,388 SANDF members will find themselves in the DRC between now and March 31 next year serving “in fulfilment of international obligations of the Republic of South Africa towards the United Nations”. The Presidential statement indicates all will be part of the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), operating under the MONUSCO umbrella in the strife-torn central African country. According to the UN there are currently 1,322 uniformed South Africans in the overall MONUSCO mission.

The cost of the DRC deployment is R909,687,562.

The SANDF will between now and March 31 next year ensure 850 SANDF members find themselves in Darfur, Sudan, as part of the hybrid AU/UN UNAMID force. This deployment is also “in fulfilment of international obligations” and will cost R369,079,895 for the 12 months.

South Africa’s third and final military commitment outside own borders is the Southern African Development community (SADC) counter-piracy tasking Operation Copper.

“Two hundred and 20 members of the SANDF were employed to monitor and deter piracy and other related illegal maritime activities along the Southern African coast of the Indian Ocean. They were employed for the period for the period April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015 and the employment has now been extended to March 31, 2016,” the statement said.

South Africa is the lead country in this deployment supplying a naval platform as well as aerial support and the associated manpower. The next 12 months of Operation Copper cost R 127,027,773.

The UN mission in the DRC – MONUSCO - is the largest of its 16 peacekeeping missions internationally with troop, police and military expert contributions coming from 55 countries. There are currently 21,067 of these in the DRC at present according to the latest UN statistics. Countries are literally an A (Algeria) to Z (Zambia).

In Sudan, South Africans find themselves alongside soldiers, police and military experts from 43 other countries in a total combined AU/UN force of 15,863. UN statistics indicate there are currently 783 South African soldiers in the country.

02-04-2015 par 1^e REG Réf : 398 | 983

Le Colonel COULET actuel chef de corps du 1er Régiment Etranger de génie, a fait ses adieux aux cadres et légionnaires du Quartier Général ROLLET.

Cependant même s’il quitte le régiment il ne quitte pas encore totalement son commandement.

Projeté pour l’opération « Sangaris » en République Centrafricaine, le Colonel COULET se voit donc dans l’obligation de quitter le régiment de manière anticipée. Cependant son successeur, le Colonel PHELUT, ne prendra le commandement qu’à partir du 20 juillet 2015. «

S'adressant au régiment le Colonel COULET a exprimé sa joie d'avoir pu le commander. « Je pars mais ne vous quitte pas, ce fut un honneur et un plaisir de vous commander. »

Le temps de commandement du Colonel COULET, aura été marqué son par un exercice régimentaire d’ampleur -Hannibal-, les 30 ans du 1er REG en juillet 2014, le défilé sur les champs Elysée pour le 14 juillet mais aussi et malheureusement le décès d’un de ses sous-officier au Mali, la Major NIKOLIC.

02-04-2015 par 1^e REG Réf : 397 | 288

Dans le cadre de la réhabilitation de l’atoll de HAO, ancienne base arrière du centre d’essai du Pacifique (CEP) stationné à MURUROA, Le 1er Régiment étranger de génie a projeté une équipe de de cinq plongeurs de combat du génie (PCG). Ces plongeurs ont reçu pour mission d’effectuer des reconnaissances qui pourraient être suivies de travaux de dépollution du lagon.

Les étapes qui se sont succédées avant de mettre en œuvre les savoirs faire subaquatiques ont été nombreuses : Les témoignages des anciens de l’atoll, les aveux des anciens du CEP et surtout les reconnaissances du service océanographique et hydrographique de la marine nationale qui effectué des photographies « sonars », des fonds marins.

Ces photos « sonars » mettent en exergue un objet situé dans le fond du lagon. C’est à ce moment que les plongeurs entrent en jeux et partent identifier l’objet en question. Ce dernier peut être aussi bien un fût de 200 litres vide, qu’une machine à laver, mais aussi des carcasses de véhicules, des pneus, des chaines et ancres de bateau…

Si le milieu dans lequel évoluent les PCG du 1er Régiment étranger de génie, semble idyllique et paradisiaque, il n’en reste pas moins extrêmement exigent. C’est pourquoi la gestion des paramètres de plongée pour rester dans un cadre sécuritaire maximum est en application permanente. Effectuant deux immersions par jour à une profondeur de 35 mètres, les plongeurs sont extrêmement rigoureux sur la préparation et l’entraînement que ce soit physique ou technique.

A ce jour, l’équipe a effectué 50 missions de reconnaissance et continue. Il y a en tout 96 sites à vérifier et 72 sont désormais fait. Les reconnaissances seront suivies par des relevages et des travaux sous-marins sur les objets dits « polluant ».

Cette mission est une des premières pour les plongeurs qui partent dans leur spécialité faire leur métier. Les conditions sont idéales et les rencontres sont malgré tout surprenantes, le rémora (poisson guide des grands poissons ou mammifères marins) a pris notre plongeur pour un de ceux-ci.

Mar 31, 2015 ASDNews Source : Raytheon

Systems to Go Aboard Apache Helicopters

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) signed a $35 million contract to deliver Stinger® missiles and air-to-air launchers to the Republic of Korea Army in support of their recent procurement of AH-64 Apache helicopters.

Under the previously announced foreign military sale, Raytheon will begin deliveries of the Stinger weapon systems in 2017.

"Stinger provides vital self-protection capabilities as well as defensive counter-air protection of aviation and ground forces," said Michelle Lohmeier, vice president of Raytheon's Land Warfare Systems product line. "Most importantly, Stinger operates day and night, in all environmental conditions and allows for the engagement of multiple targets within seconds."

This agreement highlights a renewed global interest in air-to-air Stinger as a key component of attack and light attack helicopter mission configurations. Stinger greatly enhances the capabilities of the aircraft to successfully perform today's missions while countering existing threats.

"With the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicles in the battlespace and the key role of helicopters, the evolved technology of air-to-air Stinger is easily adapted to defeat evolving threats," said Jack Elliot, Raytheon's Stinger program director. "Stinger is an immediate- response weapon of choice against a wide range of air threats for protection of both fixed sites and maneuver forces."

About Stinger

Stinger-RMP (reprogrammable microprocessor) Blk 1, the current production version of Stinger, has maintained a greater than 90 percent success rate in reliability and training tests against advanced threat targets. The combination of supersonic speed, agility, highly accurate guidance and control system, and lethal warhead gives Stinger the operational edge against all classes of helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, and fixed-wing aircraft. In service in 19 countries, Stinger not only has a surface-to-air capability from land and sea, but also an air-to-air capability that can be integrated into most fixed- or rotary-wing platforms.

April 1, 2015: Strategy Page

On March 9, 2015 Pakistan successfully launched its Shaheen 3 IRBM ballistic missile for the first time. This missile, now proven to work, has the longest range (2,700 kilometers) of any Pakistani missile and can reach all of India. Shaheen 3 is a solid fuel missile while most of Pakistan’s earlier long-range missiles were liquid fueled. Shaheen 3 was developed in secrecy, perhaps because Pakistan was unsure if they could perfect the technology for producing large solid fuel rocket motors. Pakistan had to obtain this tech from somewhere else because Pakistan does not have the industrial infrastructure to do it themselves. China was the most likely donor and China would do this largely because Pakistani ballistic missiles aimed at India make Indian anti-missile defenses less effective against Chinese ballistic missiles.

Meanwhile Pakistan has continued work on its liquid fuel missiles. In early 2012 Pakistan successfully tested a new version of its Shaheen 1 (Hatf IV) missile. The new one is being called Shaheen 1A and it has a range of 1,500 kilometers. The Shaheen 1 weighs 9.5 tons and carries a one ton warhead, to a maximum range of 700 kilometers. The 10 ton Shaheen 1A carries a smaller warhead and has more rocket fuel. The Shaheen 1A could cover most of northern India. The Shaheen 1A technology is considered more reliable than that used in the longer ranged Shaheen 2.

The Shaheen 1 entered service in 2003, and is apparently a variant of the Chinese M-9 missile. Pakistan is believed to have received the solid fuel M-9 in the 1990s, and since then modified it somewhat. Pakistan began producing the Hatf IV in the late 1990s, although it was not tested until 1999. The design appears to be well thought out, for the Hatf IV has had several successful tests. It's not known if Pakistan has a nuclear warhead of equal reliability. Such warheads are difficult to design, manufacture, and test. China has long been selling military technology to Pakistan but it appears that nuclear warhead technology has not been offered.

Until the successful test of the Shaheen 3 the largest Pakistani ballistic missile was the Shaheen 2, which is believed to be an upgraded Pakistani version of the Chinese M-18, which was originally shown at the 1987 Beijing air show as a two-stage missile with a 1,000 km range and carrying a half ton warhead. This M-18 missile has the longest range of any of the current M/DF-series missiles. There have been over half a dozen successful test launches of the Shaheen 2 since 2004. These missiles now have a range of 2,000 kilometers and can cover all but the southern tip of India. Satellite photos of a Pakistani factory 30 kilometers southwest of the capital show transporter erector launchers (TELs) being assembled for the Shaheen 2 ballistic missile. It appears that fifty or more of the 16.1 meter (fifty foot) long, six axle vehicles have been built there in the last five years. Shaheen 3 also uses a TEL.

Pakistan has a full range of solid fuel rockets. In addition to those mentioned above, there is the 1.5 ton Hatf I, which has a range of 80 kilometers, followed by larger and longer range models until Shaheen 3. In response to all this India has developed, and is about to deploy, an anti-missile system that can knock down some of the long range Pakistani ballistic missiles.

March 29, 2015: Strategy page

In early March the Kurdish government of northern Iraq sent the fourth detachment of troops to Kobane in Syria. The Iraqi Kurds have been doing this monthly since late October 2014 to help defeat a determined ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) effort to take the largely Kurdish town. At first and for over a month Turkey refused to allow the Iraqi Kurds to move through Turkey to get to Kobane. Sending the troops in via northern Syria was not practical because of all the fighting going on throughout the area. Finally the Turks relented, largely because of all the media attention the Syrian Kurds were getting for holding off this major ISIL attack. By January 2014 ISIL admitted defeat and withdrew from Kobane. Now the Kurds are pushing ISIL back in this part of northern Syria, fighting the Islamic terrorists in dozens of Kurdish villages surrounding Kobane.

The Iraqi Kurds are specialized combat troops, many trained by American Special Forces. Each group of Iraqi Kurds goes to Kobane for a month, so as not to wear them out and lose them in the intense fighting these. Each of the four groups sent so far is company size (120-160 troops) and return to train other Kurds on how best to handle ISIL tactics.

Mar 31, 2015 ASDNews Source : Raytheon

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) received a $91.5 million U.S. Air Force contract modification award for the Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer (MALD-J) missile. The contract modification is for Lot 8. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be complete by June 2017. This award was booked in the first quarter 2015.

Read more

U.S. Naval Base Coronado, California - A Critical Skills Operator with Bravo Company, 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, goes through a hatch while searching a target vessel during Visit, Board, Search and Seizure training near Naval Base Coronado, Calif., Jan. 13. (Official Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Donovan Lee/released)

March 29, 2015: Strategy page

MARSOC (Marine Corps Special Operations Command) is approaching its 10th anniversary at nearly ten percent above its authorized strength of 2,500. No one is complaining because special operations troops are in big demand even as the marines (and all the other services) are shrinking.

Most importantly 35 percent of MARSOC are commandos and other specialist troops. These are the ones in such great demand in dealing with Islamic terrorism. By 2011 marine leaders were convinced this struggle against Islamic terrorism was going to last and as a result special operations was made a career field so that marines could specialize in this are for long periods. The marines want to increase the size of MARSOC so they can assign MARSOC detachments to train and operate with regular marine units.

MARSOC currently consists of a headquarters, three special operations battalions (in the Special Operations Regiment), a Foreign Military Training Unit, and a Marine Special Operations Support Group.

The marines basically lost two of their four Force Recon companies (one of them a reserve unit) in order to build MARSOC, a process that began in 2006. To make for the Force Recon units more troops were added to division level reconnaissance units. These Special Operations companies (with about one-hundred and twenty personnel each) can provide Force Recon capabilities to marine units they are attached to.

The three Marine Corps special operations battalions (MSOBs) were all gone from of Afghanistan by the end of 2013 and assigned to SOCOM (Special Operations Command) commands. The 1st MSOB is now with SOCOM Pacific, while the 3rd MSOB is with SOCOM Africa, and the 2nd MSOB is assigned to SOCOM headquarters for use wherever the need is the greatest. Each MSOB has three or four companies each with four 15 man special operations teams. With support personnel, each battalion has four-hundred to five-hundred men. The Special Operations Battalions provide a combination of services roughly equal to what the U.S. Army Special Forces and Rangers do, as well as some of the functions of the Force Recon units.

At this point MARSOC is most heavily involved in Africa dealing with Islamic terrorism throughout the Sahel (the semi-desert region stretching from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean just below the Sahara). This includes nations coping with AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), Boko Haram, al Shabaab and sundry other Islamic terror groups. Here MARSOC spends a lot of their time training locals to carry out special operations missions or just improve their military skills in general. MARSOC detachments are found worldwide, especially in areas where there is combat or the threat of combat.

24/03/2015 Loïc Henry –MIL.be

Ce mardi 24 mars 2015 avait lieu une parade de reprise-remise de commandement à l'Hôpital Militaire Reine Astrid de Neder-Over-Heembeek. Le médecin colonel Pierre Neirinckx quitte la tête de l'hôpital pour reprendre la Composante Médicale. Le médecin colonel Guy Borgers lui succède.

C'est avec beaucoup d'émotion que le médecin colonel Pierre Neirinckx a commandé ses hommes une dernière fois lors de la parade de reprise-remise de commandement. « Merci de m'avoir toujours suivi et surtout de m'avoir soutenu durant toutes ces années », a-t-il déclaré. Il a ensuite passé en revue les différents pelotons avant de céder la place au médecin colonel Guy Borgers.

Ce dernier a salué l'étendard en compagnie du commandant de la Composante Médicale, le médecin général-major Geert Laire. Le médecin colonel Neirinckx est confiant quant à l'avenir de l'hôpital sous la direction du médecin colonel Borgers. « Je vous demande de lui faire confiance. Il est un excellent officier, un excellent médecin et un ami fidèle. Je le soutiendrai dans toutes ses prises d'initiatives. »

Le médecin colonel Neirinckx deviendra, quant à lui, commandant de la Composante Médicale. Le médecin général-major Geert Laire lui cèdera officiellement sa place le 22 avril lors de la parade de reprise-remise de commandement.

01 April 2015 by defenceWeb

In line with ongoing defence collaboration between South Africa and Malaysia, Denel Aerostructures has signed a memorandum of understanding with Strand Aerospace Malaysia covering knowledge transfer and possible subcontracting work.

The agreement was signed on 17 March during the Langkawi International Maritime and Air Defence Show (LIMA) in Malaysia. Under the agreement, Denel staff will help Strand strengthen is technical capabilities in the area of Finite Element Analysis (FEA), through engineer mentoring and knowledge provision. Denel is also considering giving Strand design and engineering work packages.

The collaboration is part of the number of defence and high-technology indirect offset initiatives between South African and Malaysian companies, managed by Malaysia Industry Group for High Technology (MIGHT) and the Technology Depository Agency (TDA).

In 2011 Denel Land Systems signed a contract to supply a range of turrets and integrated weapon systems to be fitted onto the Malaysian Army’s Pars 8X8 armoured vehicles. The major portion of this contract is being implemented in Malaysia over a seven year period.

Denel said it has already started with a programme of direct technology transfer and is meeting its commitment to build high-tech capacity in the Malaysian defence sector.

It flows from the strong diplomatic and trade relations between South Africa and Malaysia since the democratic transition in 1994. The President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, visited Malaysia in 2013 during which bilateral relations including the offset initiatives resulting from the Denel contract were discussed.

Following Zuma’s visit, Denel signed a memorandum of understanding with Strand Aerospace (SAM) to explore opportunities for technology transfer. “We are proud to work with a world-class Malaysian entity which is at the cutting edge of technology and has identified Denel as a useful strategic partner in the future,” said Riaz Saloojee, Denel Group Chief Executive.

In terms of the new agreement a senior technical specialist from Denel Aerostructures will spend at least a year at Strand Aerospace Malaysia near Kuala Lumpur to build capacity within the company, mentor emerging engineers and provide guidance on the company’s efforts to enter the global supply chains of major aerospace manufacturers.

The programme will include on the job training to at least 10 engineers employed by SAM; formal classroom training and professional mentoring; professional advice and guidance to other engineers; ongoing technical support and the development of tools and processes to support project delivery.

Saloojee said Denel will continue to support SAM’s human capital development programme and provide professional advice based on its own extensive experience in manufacturing and design engineering. This cooperation and knowledge-sharing will also contribute to the growth of indigenous South African aerospace industry.

The relationship between South Africa and Malaysia goes back a long way, but was formally established in 1993. Malaysia was the first country to invest in South Africa in 1994, and is still the largest investor from South East Asia in the country. Total trade between both nations rose from $1.4 billion in 2008 to $2.3 billion in 2012, fostered by the creation in 1997 of the South Africa- Malaysia Business Council by former president Nelson Mandela and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

April 1, 2015 By Awad Mustafa – Defense News

ABU DHABI — Sudanese Air Force precision bombers have participated in coalition operations in Yemen, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir told crowds in a rally in the western city of Zalingey, Sudan, on Wednesday.

According to a statement released by the Sudanese Armed Forces, al-Bashir saluted Air Force service members on their efforts to support operation Decisive Storm and that they are bombing Houthi targets and patrolling the Yemeni skies.

Sudan's participation with four Su-24 "Fencer" supersonic precision bomber aircraft was confirmed on Tuesday as images of the planes prepped on the tarmac of the King Khalid Air Force Base appeared in videos released by the coalition command.

The statement released Wednesday by the Sudanese Armed Forces, however, did not specify the type of mission the Fencers conducted.

Coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Assiri Wednesday did not confirm or deny the participation of the Sudanese Air Force in strikes. Yet coalition member United Arab Emirates stated on its news agency WAM that it participated in sorties targeting Houthi groupings in Yemen on Tuesday.

The Sudanese Air Force acquired 12 Su-24 aircraft from Belarus in 2013, according to the Satellite Sentinel Project, which follows development of Sudanese armed forces operations in Darfur.

The aircraft have been modified to the Su-24M export model by Belarus, according to the end-user certificate issued, and are fitted with two external fuel pods that would extend the range and loiter time over a target area.

The operational range of the Fencer is a little over 600 kilometers.

31 mars 2015 par Bastien Duhamel – 45eNord.ca

Mercredi 25 s’est déroulée la 6^e rencontre internationale Université-Défense de Québéc accueillie par l’Université Laval, le thème de cette année: «les drones: un outil incontournable, des questions légitimes». Rassemblés pour cette journée, des membres du monde académique, militaire et civil, ont réfléchi sur les opportunités offertes par l’utilisation de ces nouvelles plateformes aériennes.

Aujourd hui, les drones font partie intégrante des arsenaux militaires à disposition des différentes forces armées à travers le monde et se rendent peu à peu indispensables lorsqu’il s’agit de collecter des informations en théâtre d’opération extérieur.

En 2011, plus de 76 pays en possédaient. Les États-Unis à eux seuls en compte plus de 10.000 prêts à être déployés. Pour la seule année de 2010, ce ne sont pas moins de 21.000 sorties de ces plateformes aériennes rien que pour le théâtre irakien.

Championnes en la matière, les forces israéliennes ne semblent plus pouvoir envisager la conduite d’une opération militaire s’en l’accompagner d’une flotte de drones. S’il est difficile d’avoir des données exactes, on estime que les drones représentent 50% des sorties des forces aériennes israéliennes. A des fins de surveillance ou d’attaque, l’état-major israélien n’hésite pas à faire décoller des drones plus de 90 fois par jour comme lors de l’opération «PLOMB DURCI» a expliqué Philippe Gros, chargé de recherche à la fondation pour les Études stratégiques à Paris.

Drones tactiques, armés, de surveillance, de quoi parle-t-on?

Comme l’a souligné Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer, chargé de mission «Affaires transversales et sécurité» pour le ministère français des affaires étrangères, il importe de bien distinguer les drones armés de ceux dont le déploiement ne sert qu’à des fins de renseignement.

Contrairement aux présupposés tenaces du grand public, l’écrasante majorité des drones actuels demeurent des drones de surveillance. Seuls trois pays à savoir Israël, les États-Unis ainsi que la Grande Bretagne utilisent effectivement des drones armés au sein de leur flotte aérienne.

Ces derniers viennent enrichir le panel des possibilités qui s’offrent aux décideurs militaires lorsqu’il s’agit de mener une élimination ciblée. Dans un rapport asymétrique aux risques encourus comparés à ceux de l’ennemi, les drones armés type Prédator américains, permettent d’effectuer des frappes plus discriminantes et de diminuer les risques de dommages collatéraux ou victimes civiles.

Les intervenants se sont également attachés à détruire l’idée communément répandue selon laquelle les drones consisteraient en une technologie militaire intégralement déshumanisée oubliant ainsi le travail des opérateurs et des équipes militaires qui les entourent.

Pilotes de drone, analystes des images fournies, troupes au sol clientes des informations récoltées, la composante humaine reste au cœur de l’utilisation de ces plateformes aériennes a rappelé le lieutenant-colonel français Christophe Fontaine, commandant de l’escadron de drone 1/33 basé à Belfort en France.

L’utilisation des drones: une véritable addiction pour les forces armées

Le déploiement des plateformes aériennes tactiques offre l’opportunité sans précédent d’instaurer une occupation aérienne permanente sur un espace aérien donné. En cela, les drones complètent le travail des satellites, chasseurs,  et autres unités terrestres qui participent au renseignement mais en assurant une permanence dans cette surveillance.

Ici réside l’atout stratégique majeur propre à ces plateformes aériennes. De la reconnaissance, au ciblage en passant par l’appui aux troupes au sol, l’évaluation des risques/dégâts ou encore l’escorte, le nombre de missions différentes que les drones sont capables d’accomplir est considérable.

Tous ces avantages combinés avec la minimisation des risques physiques encourus pour les soldats entraînent une addiction croissante au sein de forces armées à ces concentrés de technologie multitâches.

Néanmoins, les conférenciers n’ont pas manqué de rappeler les limites auxquelles se heurtent encore les opérateurs de drone et leur escadron. Les drones tactiques actuels tels que le Reaper français ou encore le Hermes 450 israélien pour ne citer qu’eux, ne peuvent être déployés que si les conditions météorologiques y sont propices. De même, leur employabilité en théâtre d’opération requiert de posséder la supériorité aussi bien aérienne que cybernétique sur l’adversaire.

Par ailleurs, il serait erroné de considérer les risques liés à l’utilisation de ces plateformes aériennes tactiques comme nuls. Les risques de collisions aériennes, notamment, sont bien réels à l’image de la flotte de drone américaine qui a déjà vue plus de 400 de ses unités se crasher. Impossible non plus d’écarter la possibilité de problèmes techniques liés au degré d’automatisation des drones, par exemple en matière de problèmes de communication avec le cockpit de pilotage au sol.

Des débats moraux et légaux autour des drones militaires

A l’heure où les conflits se jouent des frontières étatiques établies et ou les menaces prennent la forme de groupes armés menant des luttes de guérilla asymétriques, les drones représentent une nouvelle réponse capacitaire face à ces affrontements d’un genre nouveau.

Si pour certains, le recours à des éliminations ciblées via des drones armés relèvent de la lâcheté et vont à l’encontre des valeurs militaires de bravoure et de prix du sang. D’autres y voient un moyen efficace de mener des frappes discrètes, discriminantes, permettant de minimiser les victimes civiles tout comme l’exposition des soldats.

Sur le plan légal, l’utilisation de ces plateformes aériennes pose la question de la responsabilité et de la conformité aux règles du droit international.

Maître Claude Laferrière, avocat et chargé de cours a expliqué qu’en ce qui concerne les États-Unis, c’est la règle du secret d’état qui s’appliquait au commandement des drones. Interrogé sur le modèle français, le lieutenant-colonel Français Christophe Fontaine a insisté sur le fait que les drones répondaient aux mêmes règles d’engagement et de responsabilité que les avions de chasse.

Quand on en vient au ciblage, le droit international humanitaire n’autorise que la frappe de cibles ayant un caractère militaire donnant un avantage tactique à l’ennemi. C’est donc, en principe, à ce cadre que ce borne l’utilisation des drones armés comme l’a souligné le capitaine de corvette Marc-André Vary, conseiller juridique de l’Etat-major interarmées des forces canadiennes.

A l’issue de la rencontre, une certitude semble faire l’unanimité: les drones ne vont cesser d’accroître leur place au sein des différentes forces armées à travers le monde. Ces plateformes aériennes renferment un potentiel militaire d’autant plus important qu’il est indexé sur les développements technologiques.