March 15 was devoted to a visit to SAFRAN Electronics & Defense, whose Montluçon site produces the inertial navigation units used in many weapons systems, as well as AASM weapons and Patroller UAVs.
On 16 March, the IHEDN delegation visited DGA Techniques terrestres, the reference centre for land armaments.
Then, in the afternoon, it was the turn of Avord's 702 air base and its commander, Colonel Richard Grosto host the EDA major.
In addition to a presentation of the base's missions and its transport pilot training school, participants were able to see a Mamba ground-air defence module and a protection group equipped with anti-drone equipment.
They were able to climb aboard an AWACS aircraft and learn about the aircraft's missions and equipment from the crews.
Finally, on Friday, listeners visited the MBDA and Nexter sites in Bourges, whose activities and production challenges are particularly relevant in the current climate, with the war in Ukraine.
The three-day trip enabled the auditors to discover some of the region's major industrial sites, and to become aware of the issues they face, such as the vulnerability of the supply chain, and the need for long-term visibility on orders and workloads.
The visits were very informative, of great interest to the auditors, and will contribute to their reflections on the collective work in progress.
