Nexter Presents Latest Research and Developments
Nexter is presenting its entire range of products on its stand, all of which are characterised by the innovative solutions they incorporate. Innovation is a key development issue at Nexter, so our stand has a dedicated room where our latest developments are presented.
Our objective is to provide our customers with competitive, innovative and digitalised solutions to enable them to maintain their superiority on the battlefield. To do this, we need to understand their needs precisely, to be able to specify tomorrow’s combat concepts as a systems integrator, and to design differentiating technological building blocks. We therefore conduct studies on all the functions of our products and on their entire life cycle, from their design to their operational maintenance.
Nexter’s research and technology (R&T) is organised around seven areas, all of which include some digitalization and simulation. We are working on-
– System architecture, with for example the HEIMDALL computer system protection gateway,
– Survivability, including the SPINELLE transparent ceramic armour,
– Mobility, with work on the hybridisation of our vehicles, jointly with Arquus and Thales,
– Weapons and ammunition, including new ammunition such as the SHARD APFSDS and the KATANA 155mm guided ammunition,
– Energy, including the new generation soundproofed auxiliary power unit GAPI developed with AKIRA technologies,
– Robotics, presented by the extensive and renowned Nexter Robotics range,
– Maintainability, including our HUMS predictive maintenance system which relies on a set of sensors integrated into the product to prevent obsolescence.
This work is reflected in the more than 3,000 living patents in our portfolio. To strengthen this capital, we have devoted 14 per cent of our turnover to research and development in 2021. We have also increased our cooperation with other institutions and companies in order to make the most of civilian technologies for military purposes and to develop those that do not exist. Thus, as the prime contractor for land defence, Nexter contributes to driving innovation alongside state structures and with our many partners: large DTIB companies such as Thales and Arquus; SMEs, start-ups, or our technological and academic partners such as ISL, CEA, ONERA, Ensta Paris, Arts et Métiers, etc.
Similarly, Nexter participates in the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR), the European Defence Industrial Development Programmes (EDIDP) launched by the European Commission in the framework of the EDF, in Permanent Structured Cooperation (PSC) projects, in studies financed by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and in the technical expert groups convened by the latter.