French Media: The French Army is Fully Advancing its Robotization Transformation

Reference News Network reported on June 6 that the French newspaper Le Figaro published a report on June 1, titled "Drone Integration Dominates the Transformation of the French Army," with the following content:

A "Gazelle" helicopter flies low, and inside the cockpit, an operator wearing first-person view (FPV) goggles releases a small drone from their hand. After the drone takes off, the operator controls it using real-time transmitted images and alters its flight path. Once equipped with combat payloads, it can strike targets several kilometers away, while the operator only needs to guide it from within the helicopter.

General Pierre Schill, Chief of Staff of the French Army, observes all of this from the ground. He stated, "Drone integration is both a capability and a combat reality. At the same time, I see it as a vehicle for the transformation of the army, to give the troops more autonomy and initiative." He hopes to see results soon.

The French Army's drone integration is in full swing, having equipped 5,000 drones last year, with a target of reaching 15,000 to 19,000 this year. The standard is for each squad or vehicle to be equipped with at least one FPV drone and one reconnaissance drone. Schill explained, "My top priority is to ensure that personnel at all levels can use, operate, and develop drones." Inspired by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he added, "Next, we must clarify the establishment of dedicated robotic or drone units." He emphasized, "Drones must be ubiquitous."

In any case, compared to the millions of drones possessed by the Ukrainian military, the French Army's efforts seem insignificant. However, the French military is not in a state of combat and does not need to stockpile equipment that will soon become outdated. Schill explained, "If we were to procure the hottest products available today, that would be a mistake. Because by that logic, we might buy FPV drones, only to find that more advanced drones emerge later." He further pointed out, "What we need is the capability to produce and continuously upgrade. But at the same time, we must also pay attention to the broader ground robotics technology."

The "Pandragón" project, as an extension of the French military's drone integration process, is another priority for Schill. The artificial intelligence architecture for this future robotic force is being built, with the goal of completing tasks like human troops. Schill emphasized, "When I say 'we will have a robotic force by 2027,' I do not mean 'by 2027 we will have the principles or concepts of a robotic force.'" He elaborated, "This will be a company-level unit primarily composed of robots. We plan to have six soldiers in command, overseeing four platoon-like units, each consisting of four robots. It will likely include an anti-tank unit, a counter-drone unit, a fire support unit, and a reconnaissance unit."

Conflicts erupting in various parts of the world have disrupted the French Army's long-planned modernization efforts. Following the "Scorpion" program, the "Titan" program now needs to accelerate and welcome the successor to the "Leclerc" tank by 2040. Schill believes, "I still believe in this plan; it is crucial. But because it is driven from the top down, there is a risk: it may not capture the turning point of scalability and open platforms, and it may not leave enough space for smaller roles." He continued, "Another difficulty is that the ground main battle system supports this transformation." However, the future Franco-German joint tank project is struggling. Schill believes, "The German industry is abandoning us." In his view, future tanks must operate in coordination with other robotic and interconnected platforms. (Translated by Liu Zhuo)