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France’s Falcon 8X-Based Archange SIGINT Jet Completes Maiden Flight

This flight launches testing of Paris’s next-generation SIGINT platform to restore long-range electronic-intelligence assets under the 2024–2030 Military Planning Act.

Falcon 8X Archange

Overview

  • The first Falcon 8X-based Archange jet completed its maiden flight on August 5, showcasing its new under-fuselage fairing and Thales CUGE electronic-warfare suite.
  • It is set to replace the long-range C-160G Gabriel aircraft retired in 2022 and close the strategic SIGINT gap for France.
  • The CUGE mission system features multi-polarization antennas, AI-driven signal processing and high-speed SATCOM and tactical datalink links for rapid radar and communications intercepts.
  • Three Archange platforms will be delivered in 2025, 2026 and 2028 under France’s 2024–2030 Military Planning Act, with full operational capability targeted by 2030.
  • The jets will fly with Electronic Squadron 00.054 “Dunkerque” at Évreux-Fauville and integrate into France’s SCAF, SCORPION and NATO C4ISR networks.