Reference News Network, July 1st. According to the U.S. "National Interest" bi-monthly website, June 28th. Due to the ongoing turbulence in the Middle East, fewer military experts have been paying attention to the recent Paris Air Show. At this air show, a series of impressive displays were made by some of the most innovative defense companies around the world. In particular, the European Missile Group. This European cross-border defense group has announced one of the most impressive unmanned systems it has developed in recent years: the new "One-way Evaluator" drone.

This drone is called a "saturating weapon": its design purpose is to fly into enemy dense defense areas ahead of an attack force, luring the enemy's defense system to lock onto it, thereby exposing the defense system to friendly forces, so that these defense facilities can be destroyed by air strikes before the main offensive.

The European Missile Group's "One-way Evaluator" drone carries a warhead weighing 88 pounds (approximately 40 kilograms), which is just enough to activate the enemy air defense system when the drone approaches the enemy. The European Missile Group's new "One-way Evaluator" drone is powered by a jet engine and has a maximum range of 311 miles (approximately 500 kilometers).

The key to the success of this drone lies in its ability to conduct "swarm" attacks on targets - saturating the target, making the enemy's defense system unable to respond effectively. According to the Next-Generation Defense News website in the United States: "The European Missile Group is collaborating with drone and car manufacturers to mass-produce this new drone, using civilian supply chains and industrial production models to rapidly scale up production." This move has completely (and necessarily) broken the failed model of Western defense industry - a model that often leads to production delays and cost overruns, rarely delivering weapons systems as scheduled.

The European Missile Group plans to produce 1,000 of these drones per month. Although this may attract a lot of mockery considering the inherent weaknesses of the Western defense industry base, this new civil-military integrated mass production model may allow the European Missile Group to scale up the system in ways previously thought impossible.

The wingspan of this drone is about 10 feet (approximately 3 meters), with two vertical stabilizers at the wingtips, making it look like a small-winged aircraft. In this regard, it has some similarities with Iran's "Witness"-136 drone. Similarly to the Iranian drone, the "One-way Evaluator" drone flies relatively slowly and is difficult to maneuver, making it easy to intercept. However, low cost and large-scale deployment partially offset these issues. A high loss rate is expected and is part of the overall system plan.

The European Missile Group's "One-way Evaluator" drone can be launched in clusters from the ground via a ramp or integrated hangar. It operates autonomously using a simple mission planning system. Additionally, it can operate in environments with poor electronic performance.

This bold new drone began development last December and is planned to be tested and demonstrated this autumn. The first batch of drones is planned to be produced by 2027. By using off-the-shelf components and simplified designs, the European Missile Group's drones are very low-cost, costing only a fraction of a cruise missile.

According to the European Missile Group's promotion, this new drone is a "European solution" to European security issues. For this reason, the European Missile Group emphasizes that France is working to develop independent, high-capacity strike capabilities. This is part of a broader effort across Europe to re-arm in response to the increasing threats from neighboring Russia.

French designers hope that the "One-way Evaluator" drone will reshape modern air defense strategies by forcing opponents to adapt to low-cost, high-capacity threats, possibly changing the balance of offense and defense in modern warfare.

Whether or not this system ultimately succeeds, its low cost - and the French innovation in this new civil-military integrated defense production model - indicates that efforts are being made to enhance their combat effectiveness in an era when European armies are far from powerful. (Translated by Liu Baiyun)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7522010054434865683/

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