Sophie Binet at the head of the CGT, refueling drones in flight, Renault Espace 6… The five images of the week

Sophie Binet succeeds Philippe Martinez at the head of the CGT

To everyone’s surprise, Sophie Binet was elected secretary general of the CGT on Friday March 31, while the two favorites, Marie Buisson and Céline Verzeletti, failed to convince. This well-known figure in the union was responsible for gender equality at confederation level and represented engineers and managers. Born in 1982, she worked as a senior education adviser in a professional high school, and regularly speaks in the media to speak out on the themes of work, executive unemployment and ecological transition. She becomes the first woman to head the CGT.

Airbus wants to automate the refueling of drones in flight

Airbus is currently developing a new in-flight refueling technology for autonomous aircraft as part of its Auto’Mate program, one of ten projects led by Airbus UpNext, the aircraft manufacturer’s subsidiary responsible for exploring disruptive technologies. During tests carried out on Tuesday March 28 in Spain, Airbus took off four DT-25 drones which joined an A310 MRTT transport and refueling aircraft. The latter successively took control of each of them to supply them using artificial intelligence and cooperative control algorithms.

First sea trials for the SNA Duguay-Trouin

The nuclear attack submarine (SNA) Duguay-Trouin left the port of Cherbourg (Manche) on Monday March 27, almost 14 years after Naval Group began its construction. It is preparing to pass several tests before being delivered to the French Navy by the end of the year. The submarine is part of the Barracuda program (for which 9 billion euros have already been disbursed) which aims to replace the five tricolor SNAs of the Rubis type, put into service during the 1980s, with six new SNAs. The first SNA, the Suffren, was delivered in November 2020. The other four should be entrusted to the Army by 2030.

Renault transforms its Espace into an SUV

Renault unveiled the Espace 6 on Tuesday, March 28, the latest generation of its famous family minivan which was launched 40 years ago. Transformed into an SUV, the vehicle no longer has much to do with the model whose first four generations met with great success. It offers 5 to 7 seats and is inspired by the Renault Austral, although longer. Inside, there are few new features to report. The “Open R” dashboard, equipped with two 12-inch screens and running Google Android Auto, is similar to that of the Austral. This new model demonstrates the desire of the diamond brand to conquer the SUV market. In 2014, it presented the Renault Captur, then unveiled the following year the Renault Kadjar, replaced by the Austral in 2022.

The Buitoni pizza factory will close its doors

The Buitoni (Nestlé) pizza production site in Caudry (Nord) did not resist the health scandal that hit it in March 2022. Its closure was announced on Thursday March 30. The presence of E.Coli bacteria in frozen pizzas from the Fraich’Up range had at the time caused the death of two children and the hospitalization of dozens of others. Stopped for nine months, production resumed in the factory at the end of 2022, before a new shutdown in early March – therefore definitive. The unions indicate that the salaries of the hundred employees will be maintained until December 31, 2023, the time for Nestlé to seek a buyer.

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