Story ID: 500
Dassault: 'We’ll Build Our Own Cloud'
By: Chris Pocock
Caption: Dassault Aviation and Dassault Systèmes will collaborate on a sovereign cloud for Europe that will have particular relevance to defense projects.
Word Count: 379
The Dassault Group is developing a secure cloud system for defense applications such as the pan-European Next Generation Fighter (NGF) and the wider Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The secure distributed computer server collection is billed as a sovereign system for Europe and will build on the 3D Experience platform created by Dassault Systèmes.
But although the applications will stretch well beyond defense into commerce, industry, and public services, many will view the move as another challenge to Airbus on the FCAS project. After protracted negotiations last year, Dassault Aviation won confirmation as design leader for the NGF. But Airbus retained responsibility for connecting this sixth-generation fighter with other platforms suggested for the FCAS, such as drones, via a “combat cloud."
At a Paris Airshow press conference yesterday, Dassault Systèmes president and CEO Bernard Charles said that his company would leverage its world leadership position in virtual environments such as “digital twins” to create “the highest levels of security and collaboration on the cloud.” Dassault Systèmes developed CADCAM software sold to many aerospace and manufacturing companies. It has since developed cybersecurity systems branded “Outscale” that have also been sold widely.
Both Charles and Trappier stressed that Europe must develop alternatives to U.S. cloud initiatives. But although Charles spoke of the wider applications such as health care, they made repeated references to combat clouds, both in the press conference and in the associated press release. It said that the FCAS partners “will benefit from continuous software developments by Dassault Systèmes that deliver the latest capabilities in systems engineering, program management, design, simulation, and other disciplines."
Trappier told AIN that the French move would not “alter the balance of responsibilities” within FCAS. Dassault Aviation would apply the newly-developed capabilities to the airborne platforms, while Airbus works on other domains, such as maritime. And Airbus would define the rules for cooperation with U.S. combat cloud systems. Trappier said that engineers from all three FCAS countries (France, Germany, and Spain) met at Dassault Aviation’s St Cloud headquarters in Paris this week “to define the protocols.”