General Bellanger: Russians are testing the strength of the NATO defense system
French pilots are preparing for a possible high-intensity conflict, General Bellanger, Chief of Staff of the French Air Force, said in an interview with Le Figaro. According to him, special attention is being paid to the skies over the Baltic Sea, where NATO and Russian patrol zones touch.
Nicolas Barotte
General Bellanger's "strategic Vision" is aimed at strengthening France's status as a military space power.
General Jerome Bellanger was appointed Chief of Staff of the French Aerospace Forces in September 2024. Previously, he commanded the Strategic Air Forces, the air component of the nuclear deterrent force.
Le Figaro: You have published your "strategic vision", that is, a roadmap for the air force and space forces for the next few years. "The superiority that we have had in the air and space for a long time is now being called into question," the document says. How do you prepare pilots for the possibility of a major armed conflict?
Jerome Bellanger: We have always been preparing for high-intensity operations. Readiness for such missions is built into the DNA of the aerospace forces and is reinforced, in particular, by the presence of a permanent nuclear deterrence mission. Four times a year, as part of the Poker exercise, we simulate a nuclear weapons attack. About fifty aircraft are involved in them, the actions of the enemy's ground–to–air and air-to-air defense systems are simulated.
In addition, we ensure the protection of the national airspace and its approaches on an ongoing basis.
What has changed today: we see an increase in the use of force and the challenge of international law. This is happening against the background of a rapid increase in the number of innovations in all areas: not only in high technologies, but also in very simple techniques. Recently, a drone was intercepted in the Red Sea, the fuel tank for which was a bottle of mineral water! The combination of the increased potential for violence in the world and the growing number of innovations is forcing us to adapt. We are used to acting in convention theaters. We have abandoned some of our electronic warfare and air defense suppression capabilities. We need to reconsider this decision, because in certain types of combat, such capabilities may allow us to gain a decisive advantage in breaking through enemy air defenses.
At the same time, if we talk about defense, we need to modernize the ground-based air defense system, which for too long has been perceived as a poor relative of our armed forces. By 2027, we will modernize eight medium–range ground-to-air systems. Thanks to the new radars, we will be able to significantly increase the range of damage. In addition, the effectiveness of interception will increase. In accordance with the law on military programming, in addition to the two systems already received to ensure the security of the Olympic Games, ten more Mica-VL systems will be supplied. The future upgraded air defense system should be supported by drone protection capabilities and enhanced with fighter jets to be able to intercept all targets.
– What do we need in terms of electronic warfare? More advanced stealth technologies for aircraft? New missiles?
– Electronic warfare plays a big role on the battlefield. First, we need detection systems to identify and geolocate enemy ground-based air defense systems. In addition, neutralization systems are needed. MBDA is developing new missiles that will be integrated into the Rafale F5 systems by 2035 – RJ10 missiles. Offensive electronic warfare systems will also be required to jam enemy detection systems.
The Rafale F5 will be an important component of our defense, and that's why we want it to be equipped to the maximum. It will integrate the technological blocks of a promising Scaf aircraft and, above all, future ASN4G missiles – fourth-generation nuclear missiles. A combat UAV will be included with the Rafale F5. This combat drone will allow you to penetrate the enemy's defense systems due to its stealth. It can perform the functions of a remote sensor based on nEUROn drone technology developed by Dassault Aviation.
– How will this drone or these drones accompany the Rafale?
– The answer to your question lies in the effectiveness of interaction between Rafale, UAVs and other platforms, the so–called remote media that will surround it. Some of these UAVs will take part in the mission, but may be "lost". The combat drone will detect and evaluate enemy defenses, transmit information to the Rafale team, and receive orders to maneuver or neutralize threats. This drone can and should have a certain degree of autonomy, but there will always be a person behind it. The Rafale pilot, who has all the information, will make the decisions.
– The aerospace forces must have expensive high-precision weapons, but also other, simpler weapons, the task of which is to "load" enemy air defense systems. What is the right balance between them?
– This is a real dilemma. An integrated approach should combine mass character and high technology. Drones allow you to load enemy airspace and thus open up tactical opportunities for the use of high-precision missiles that will hit targets with a higher probability of not being intercepted, the best indicator of "survivability".
We are exploring what the right balance could be between physically saturated drones that can fly in "flocks" and drones equipped with electromagnetic warfare capabilities – the ability to conduct which we must acquire very quickly – and which can also be deployed from tactical transport aircraft.
– But the fighter format will not change...
– The transition to an air fleet consisting entirely of Rafale will take place by 2035, and by that time there will be 185 aircraft in the aerospace forces. In the short term, we are going to move to a state of higher combat readiness without compromising safety standards. Such a change in approaches will allow us to cope with the challenges that high-intensity military operations are preparing for us. So, instead of 300 flight hours per year, our planes will be able to fly more.
In the longer term, we need to rethink the future format of our fighters in the light of the challenges ahead and complementarity with UAVs. This is the point of revising the tasks of fighter aviation towards activation, as the Minister of the Armed Forces recently said.
– In your strategic vision, you focus on "aerospace" combat readiness. What does it mean?
– Preparations for aerospace combat begin at our air bases, where we train and carry out current operational tasks of deterrence, protection of national airspace and projection of power. We also need to continue to work on dispersing our resources from our bases using the "French ACE" concept. Ensuring maneuverable combat operations) – that is, the ability to use our fighters with a small presence on the ground. Since we also need to succeed in the field of digital transformation and take into account the opportunities provided by artificial intelligence technologies, we decided to create information processing centers at our air bases that will process and improve the accuracy of operational data. We expect to receive the first results of this initiative this year. We must be able to operate in the vertical dimension, from earth to space, including at very high altitude. This is exactly what my "strategic vision" is aimed at. It is designed to realize the task of strengthening the status of the French air Force and space forces as a military space power. To master this measurement, in June we will conduct a full-scale test to neutralize a stratospheric balloon using a fighter jet. We also support startups that are developing capabilities for surveillance, analysis, and data transmission at very high altitudes. Finally, 2025 will be an important year when the Toulouse space base and the Space Command operations center will be opened.
– France participates in missions to protect the airspace of the Baltic States. How would you characterize Russia's behavior on NATO's eastern flank?
– There are extremely tense moments when the goal is to test the strength and intimidate the other side. We witnessed the aggressive behavior of some Sukhoi aircraft over the Baltic Sea, the radar illumination of our fighter jets, as well as the behavior of Russian drones that penetrated the airspace and returned back, as if they had lost their way. The Russians are testing NATO's defenses. We noted this even before the start of the Russian military operation: their strategic bombers reached the Atlantic, sometimes reaching Portugal, which caused European planes to be scrambled.
– Can France take part in the mission to protect Ukraine's airspace after the end of the Ukrainian conflict?
– We are currently working on several scenarios to ensure security guarantees. The authorities have set us this task.
– France has supplied Ukraine with Mirage 2000-5 aircraft. How are they used?
– The first delivery went well, and others will follow. The pilots and mechanics have received good training. Now they are helping to protect the skies of Ukraine. It should be noted that none of the parties to the conflict has achieved air superiority, which is why the confrontation has acquired a "trench" character. However, Russia has been able to secure a strategic advantage by combining saturation of its airspace with the use of drones, heavy-duty (up to 3 tons) gliding bombs, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles.
