Direction générale de l'armement


The Direction générale de l’armement, is the French Government Defence procurement and technology agency responsible for project management, development and purchase of weapon systems for the French military.

Armament project coordination

The DGA coordinates armament projects with the industry in France, within Europe, but also with customers for export. Together with the Europe of Defence organisation, the DGA promotes the development of armament projects in co-operation and contributes to the development of the European Defence Agency. Fifteen cooperative armament projects are under way. The OCCAr ensures the control of six projects 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, A400M military transport aircraft, PAAMS anti-aircraft system.

Other activities

Testing and expertise

The DGA also undertakes the testing and assessment of equipment and military technologies. Test centres are distributed across France to carry out studies in advanced technologies: DGA Hydrodynamics, DGA Aero-engine Testing, DGA CBRN Defence, DGA Information superiority, DGA Land Systems, DGA Missiles Testing, DGA Naval Systems, DGA Flight Testing, DGA Aeronautical Systems, DGA Engineering & Integration. These services contribute to the validation of industrial equipment, but also to the proving of military systems for the programme directorates. Since 2004 DGA, has been organised into two subdirectorates for the coordination of projects dealing respectively with the inter-systems technical approach and with technological developments.

Engineering schools

In addition, DGA supervises engineering schools that operate under the scrutiny of the Ministry of defence. The high-level military staff of DGA, the Corps of Armament whose members are the ingénieurs de l'armement, are commissioned officers, who are generally graduates of the École polytechnique, then the ENSTA or Supaéro. The main part of the engineers, the ingénieurs des études et techniques d'armement are graduates of the ENSIETA or ENSICA.

Naval building

The DGA also formerly had a division for building warships, the Direction des constructions navales, now formed into a partly state-owned corporation, DCNS.

List of délégués généraux pour l'armement

The list of successive Heads of the DGA, whether they are from the Corps de l'armement, from the Corps des mines or from the French Armed Forces, whether they are more technology-oriented or "cost-cutting"-oriented, whether they originate from the DGA itself or from outside, gives an idea of the evolution of the institution.
Michel Fourquet, général d'armée aérienne, X33
Delpech

Henri Martre 1977-1983

Emile Blanc

Yves Sillard 1989-1993

Jean-Yves Helmer

Yves Gleizes

François Lureau

Laurent Collet-Billon

Ranks within the [Corps de l'armement]

Officers of the Corps de l'armement have a unique rank structure.
Officers of the Corps des ingénieurs des études et techniques de l'armement have also a unique rank structure.