American Reaper drone set for first appearance at France's Bastille Day parade. Image: VanderWolf Images/Shutterstock.com
On Thursday, July 14, France will celebrate Bastille Day and the inclusion of the American MQ-9 Reaper will be the first time a military drone will fly in the July 14 parade.
Bastille Day is the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, a major event of the French Revolution, as well as the Fête de la Fédération that celebrated the unity of the French people on 14 July 14, 1790.
To mark the occasion, Jaguar light armoured vehicles, the first of which has just been delivered to the French Army, will join the Reaper during the parade on the Champs-Elysées.
While 65 aircraft and 25 helicopters will also fly over the parade, joining the 181 vehicles parading on the Champs-Elysées.
France’s new Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu said that the parade will be a good way to show the country’s advancement in military capabilities.
“The historic increase in the budget of our armies allows us to face the threats that exist throughout the world, and to better equip our forces,” he said.
“The parade you are about to attend is a testament to these changes, you will see the equipment that now equips our military and that did not exist five years ago.”
The American-manufactured MQ-9 Reaper will be “the very first time that a drone has paraded on July 14”, according to the armed forces, who said that it would be piloted remotely from the 709 air base in Cognac by the 1/33 “Belfort” drone squadron.
The importance of the MQ-9 Reaper, a so-called MALE (medium altitude, long endurance) drone, is not lost on French Air Force chiefs.
“These systems are increasingly integrated into the intelligence and command chain of operations,” it said.
The Reaper is equipped with an optronic ball equipped with electro-optical cameras for day and night vision, as well as a radar and has the capacity to be armed.
The Jaguar light armoured vehicle, manufactured in the Nexter factories in Roanne, is defined as a vehicle “lighter and more manoeuvrable than the Leclerc tank”.
“It carries missiles and a large number of shells with a considerable strike force. It will gradually replace three models of armoured vehicles that have been in service in the armed forces for the past 40 years,” the military said.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram .
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at [email protected]
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Known as the PEOPLE’S PAPER, Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain. And it’s FREE!
Covering the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Almeria, Axarquia, Mallorca and beyond, EWN supports and inspires the individuals, neighbourhoods, and communities we serve, by delivering news with a social conscience. Whether it’s local news in Spain, UK news or international stories, we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home.
With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month, EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain. The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close.
Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP), Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall). All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers. All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE.
© 2022 EWN Media. No part of this website may be reproduced without written permission from the publishers. All rights reserved.
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.