Délégation Générale pour l'Armement
Encyclopedia
The Direction générale de l’armement, which could be translated as “General Directorate for Armament”, or DGA, is the French
Government Defence procurement agency responsible for the program management, development and purchase of weapon systems for the French military
.
. Fifteen cooperative armament programmes are under way. The OCCAr (Joint Organisation of Co-operation as regards Armament) ensures the control of six programmes intended to equip the French force, inter allia : combat Tiger helicopter
, ground-to-air missiles short Roland
/Frole range, Cobra counter-battery radar
, family of ground-to-air systems future (FSAF), A400M
military transport aircraft, PAAMS
anti-aircraft system.
, ENSTA, SUPAERO, ENSTA Bretagne, ENSICA
). The high-level military staff of DGA, the ingénieurs de l’armement (IA, literally, “Armament Engineers”), are commissioned officers, who are generally graduates of the École polytechnique, then the ENSTA or SUPAERO. The main part of the engineers, the ingénieurs des études et techniques d'armement (IETA, literally, "weaponry studies and technics engineers") are graduates of the ENSIETA.
Officers of the Corps des ingénieurs des études et techniques de l'armement have also a unique rank structure.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Government Defence procurement agency responsible for the program management, development and purchase of weapon systems for the French military
Military of France
The French Armed Forces encompass the French Army, the French Navy, the French Air Force and the National Gendarmerie. The President of the Republic heads the armed forces, with the title "chef des armées" . The President is the supreme authority for military matters and is the sole official who...
.
Armament programs coordination
The DGA coordinates the armament programs with industry in France, within Europe, but also with customers for export. Together with the Europe of Defence organization, the DGA promotes the development of armament programmes in co-operation and contributes to the development of the European Defence AgencyEuropean Defence Agency
The European Defence Agency is an agency of the European Union based in Brussels. It is a Common Foreign and Security Policy body set up on 12 July 2004, reporting to the Council of the European Union. All EU member states, except Denmark which has an opt-out of the CFSP, take part in the agency...
. Fifteen cooperative armament programmes are under way. The OCCAr (Joint Organisation of Co-operation as regards Armament) ensures the control of six programmes intended to equip the French force, inter allia : combat Tiger helicopter
Eurocopter Tiger
The Eurocopter Tiger is an attack helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter. In Germany it is known as the Tiger; in France and Spain it is called the Tigre.-Origins:...
, ground-to-air missiles short Roland
Roland (air defence)
The Roland is a Franco-German mobile short-range surface-to-air missile system. The Roland was also purchased by the U.S. Army as one of very few foreign SAM systems....
/Frole range, Cobra counter-battery radar
Counter-battery radar
A counter-battery radar detects artillery projectiles fired by one or more guns, howitzers, mortars and rocket launchers and from their trajectories locates the position on the ground of the gun, etc., that fired it. Alternatively, or in addition, it may determine where the projectile will land...
, family of ground-to-air systems future (FSAF), A400M
Airbus A400M
The Airbus A400M, also known as the Atlas, is a multi-national four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities. The aircraft's maiden flight, originally planned for 2008, took place on 11 December 2009 in...
military transport aircraft, PAAMS
PAAMS
The Principal Anti Air Missile System is a joint French/Italian/British programme for a naval anti-aircraft weapon. The prime contractor is EUROPAAMS, a joint venture between Eurosam and MBDA subsidiary UKAMS . MBDA also owns 66% of Eurosam, in effect giving it a 77% share of the project...
anti-aircraft system.
Testing and expertise
The DGA also undertakes the testing and assessment of equipments and military technologies. Test centres are distributed across France to carry out studies in advanced technologies, in aeronautics and missiles (the flight test centre bases of Istres, Bretigny, Cazaux and Toulouse, Centre of Tests of Launching of Missiles Biscarosse site, island of raising and Gâvres, and the centre of expertise LRBA in Vernon), electronics, data processing and information system security (CELAr in Rennes, and CTSN in Toulon). These services contribute to the validation of industrial equipments, but also to the proving of military systems for the programme directorates. Since 2004 DGA is organized into two subdirectorates for the coordination of programs dealing respectively with the inter-systems technical approach (Service of architecture inter-systems) and with technological developments (responsible for domains).Engineering schools
In addition, DGA supervises engineering schools that operate under the scrutiny of the Ministry of defence (École PolytechniqueÉcole Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
, ENSTA, SUPAERO, ENSTA Bretagne, ENSICA
ENSICA
The École nationale supérieure d'ingénieurs de constructions aéronautiques , meaning National Higher School of aeronautical constructions, is a French engineering school founded in 1945. It is located in Toulouse....
). The high-level military staff of DGA, the ingénieurs de l’armement (IA, literally, “Armament Engineers”), are commissioned officers, who are generally graduates of the École polytechnique, then the ENSTA or SUPAERO. The main part of the engineers, the ingénieurs des études et techniques d'armement (IETA, literally, "weaponry studies and technics engineers") are graduates of the ENSIETA.
Naval building
The DGA also formerly had a division for building warships, the Direction des constructions navales (“Directorate of Naval Construction”), now formed into a partly state-owned corporation, DCNS.Unique Ranks Within the DGA
Officers of the Corps des ingénieurs de l'armement have a unique rank structure.- Ingénieur, (1er échelon) ("Engineer", first level, equivalent to a Sous-lieutenant)
- Ingénieur, (2e et 3e échelon) ("Engineer", second and third level, equivalent to a Lieutenant)
- Ingénieur, (4e au 9e échelon) ("Engineer", from fourth to ninth level, equivalent to a Capitaine)
- Ingénieur principal ("Lead Engineer", equivalent to a Commandant)
- Ingénieur en chef ("Chief Engineer" equivalent to a Lieutenant-Colonel before serving two years in this rank)
- Ingénieur en chef ("Chief Engineer" equivalent to a Colonel after serving two or more years in this rank)
- Ingénieur général de 2e classe ("Engineer-General, Second Class", equivalent to a Général de brigade)
- Ingénieur général de 1er classe ("Engineer-General, First Class", equivalent to a Général de division)
- Ingénieur général hors classe ("Engineer-General Beyond Class", equivalent to a Général de corps d'armée). There are at least three (one for each service branch) but usually others are appointed to run the main divisions within the DGA.
- Ingénieur général de classe exceptionnelle ("Engineer-General, Exceptional Class", equivalent to a Général d'armée). There is usually only one: the titular Délégué Général pour l'Armement (the head of DGA).
Officers of the Corps des ingénieurs des études et techniques de l'armement have also a unique rank structure.
- Ingénieur, (1er échelon) ("Engineer", first level, equivalent to a Sous-lieutenant)
- Ingénieur, (2e au 5e échelon) ("Engineer", from second to fifth level, equivalent to a Lieutenant)
- Ingénieur, (6e au 10e échelon) ("Engineer", from sixth to tenth level, equivalent to a Capitaine)
- Ingénieur principal ("Lead Engineer", equivalent to a Commandant)
- Ingénieur en chef de 2e classe ("Chief Engineer, Second Class" equivalent to a Lieutenant-Colonel)
- Ingénieur en chef de 1er classe ("Chief Engineer, First Class" equivalent to a Colonel)
- Ingénieur général de 2e classe ("Engineer-General, Second Class", equivalent to a Général de brigade)
- Ingénieur général de 1er classe ("Engineer-General, First Class", equivalent to a Général de division)
See also
- AGATEAGATE (architecture framework)AGATE is a framework for modeling computer or communication systems architecture....
, the architecture framework promoted by the DGA