Posts List
Defense
France Sets Rafale F5 Course With ASN4G Missile and Core System Upgrades
Paris, Sept. 14 – France has awarded early Rafale F5 contracts to Dassault Aviation, MBDA, Safran and Thales for technologies supporting the ASN4G nuclear missile, a new radar, stealth data link and a 20 percent increase in engine thrust. The DGA placed the initial work ahead of the main development phase planned for late 2026, covering navigation, radar, communications, electronic warfare and propulsion upgrades for the combat aircraft. The Rafale F5 standard constitutes a major mid-life modernisation expected to qualify around 2033 before entering service with the French Air and Space Force and later the French Navy.
The upgrade will support renewal of France’s airborne nuclear deterrent through integration of the future ASN4G missile while preparing the Rafale for first-entry missions in contested operational environments. A more open aircraft architecture will enable faster adaptation of the mission system as threats evolve and will give the armed forces greater operational autonomy. Dassault Aviation will oversee a very-low-drift inertial navigation unit using hemispherical resonator gyroscope technology as one of several risk-reduction components ordered by the DGA.
Thales will develop the Inter-Vehicle Data Link, a stealthy and resilient high-bandwidth communications system designed to resist jamming between aircraft in hostile airspace. The F5 will also receive Thales’ RBE2-XG electronically scanned radar, offering higher power, longer detection range, improved identification of low-observable targets and greater use of artificial intelligence while retaining current dimensions and stronger cyber resilience. Thales and MBDA France will modernise the SPECTRA self-protection suite into a fully digital system with improved threat detection and jamming across a broader electromagnetic spectrum.
Safran Aircraft Engines has a contract for the preliminary design of the M88 T-REX engine, intended to raise maximum thrust by 20 percent from 7.5 tonnes to 9 tonnes. The T-REX retains the M88-2 modular architecture, basic structure and low fuel consumption, with selected module changes allowing component replacement without removing the entire engine. These Rafale F5 contracts form part of France’s successive-standard modernisation policy, involving more than 400 companies and over 7,000 jobs while preserving operational performance and export appeal for eight foreign customers that have ordered 299 new and 24 second-hand aircraft.
Boeing
United 787 Off Assigned Path Moments After Los Angeles Departure
Los Angeles, Sept. 14 – United Boeing 787 pilots take wrong turn after Los Angeles takeoff when United Airlines flight UA923, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner registered N24974, left Los Angeles International Airport bound for London Heathrow and immediately departed from its assigned RNAV Docker procedure. Cleared for takeoff on Runway 25R, the aircraft became airborne and turned north instead of tracking the expected westbound departure path, crossing corridors associated with LAX’s northern runways and prompting an urgent intervention from tower controllers who recognized the conflict potential in one of the world’s busiest terminal areas. The unexpected routing occurred within seconds of rotation and required an immediate heading change to restore separation and procedural compliance.
Air traffic control issued a time-critical instruction for United 923 to turn left now to heading 251, which the crew acknowledged while attributing the error to a flight management computer that had been programmed incorrectly. After the initial correction, the flight contacted Southern California departure, reported passing 2500 feet, and received successive climb clearances to 5000, 7000, and 8000 feet, together with a direct routing toward Malibu. Controllers later noted that the aircraft had not executed the required turn at the Malibu waypoint and issued a further heading of 030 with instructions to proceed direct Lady J once able.
The departure controller advised the crew of a possible pilot deviation and provided a telephone number for later contact, an advisory the pilots accepted without dispute. Following the additional heading and waypoint instructions, the Boeing 787-9 was transferred to the next frequency and continued its climb and transatlantic routing without any declared emergency or further disruption. The remainder of the long-haul sector to Heathrow proceeded normally once the aircraft was re-established on the revised track.
The incident illustrates the critical importance of accurate flight-management-system loading and instantaneous crew-controller coordination during the high-workload departure phase at Los Angeles International Airport. Even a brief deviation from an RNAV procedure can generate traffic conflicts in the densely used airspace surrounding LAX, making precise programming and prompt ATC response essential for maintaining safety on complex international departures such as UA923.
