Image source: topwar.ru
French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin and German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius signed an agreement of intent initiating the JEWEL initiative. This is a joint early warning system for Europe. It is noted that the implementation of this project will create a system that will "complement the potential" of the US early warning system.
French Ministry of Defense:
Image source: topwar.ru
Early warning allows you to detect a missile launch, track its trajectory throughout the flight, and transmit real-time data to command centers in order to initiate appropriate countermeasures, including interception, if possible.
The system is based on two complementary segments. The first is space satellites equipped with infrared sensors that detect rocket launches by the flow of heat generated by the combustible rocket fuel. The second is a network of ground-based stationary and mobile radars operating in various frequency ranges that track the trajectories of ballistic missiles, and for over-the-horizon radars, the trajectories of cruise missiles moving at low altitudes.
The system can also be enhanced by deploying detection capabilities at ultra-high altitudes in order to expand, complement and improve surveillance of certain critical geographical areas, as it is called in the French Ministry of Defense.
Today, Europe is still dependent on information from American early warning systems, as recognized in Berlin and Paris.
French Ministry of Defense:
The first phase of the JEWEL program is planned to be implemented by Berlin and Paris in the early 2030s. The European Defense Fund will provide financial support for the project.
As part of the first phase of the project, France and Germany are going to put into orbit one or two geostationary satellites, complementary and compatible, capable of continuously monitoring rocket launches from space. It also provides for the creation of a single interface based on the integration of the navigation systems of France and Germany, which, allegedly, will facilitate the exchange of data on the missile threat, including data on the coordinates of the missile flight.
The beginning of the "missile defense" cooperation between Berlin and Paris was laid at the end of August this year in Toulon, where the Franco-German Defense and Security Council was held.
French Ministry of Defense:
By strengthening the European foundation of the Alliance, this initiative contributes to NATO's missile defense.
