New French aggressor with Mirage 2000?
A new French aggressor company, known as ARES, has recently seen birth. ARES, which stands for Avanced REDAIR European Squadron, was formed by the merger of SDTS and SECAERO.
In the past years, SDTS, as a subsidiary of SECAPEM, has provided more than 250 air service missions per year for operational training of the French armed forces.
SECAERO, based in Chabeuil, near Valence, is an expert in the maintenance and modernization of airplanes and helicopters, as well as in the development of optronics equipment. It also provides training for pilots and mechanics.
The current ARES fleet consists of nine MB-339Cs, one Cessna 337, and an CTSW UAV, all former SDTS. These aircraft have totalled more than 3000 flying hours since 2015.
But ARES has interesting plans: the company is in the process of acquiring four Mirage 2000s at short notice, with another fourteen to follow later. The ultimate goal would be to have twelve of these fourth generation jets operational.
At this moment is not yet known where these Mirage 2000 will come from. Whether it will be Greece, Taiwan, or the United Arab Emirates, these aircraft will most likely be upgraded. To this purpose, ARES has sought cooperation with Dassault (aircraft manufacturer), Saffran (power plant) and Thales (radar).
To accommodate the maintenance of their aircraft, ARES recently signed a contract to use 4000 sq mtrs of hangar space at Istres. An investment of 5 million Euros will be made for the necessary equipment for both aircrew and technicians. Some 60 new personnel will be sought in the near future. Istres will become the third base for ARES, following the flying operations at Nimes-Garons and the maintenance at Chabeuil.
Interesting to know are the ambitions of ARES, as expressed by Bertrand Lucereau, president of ARES. He stated that the company will in the future not only be able to provide adversary training to the French armed forces, but that expansion to other European countries is also considered. Red Air activities are surely not restricted to US companies only. In that respect, the company name is also a warning for its competitors: ARES is the name of the Greek god of war!
Sources: ARES and L’Usine Nouvelle
Illustration: Scramble artist impression