In 2020, the Ministry of the Armed Forces was severely bombarded by a report from the Court of Accounts entitled “unmanned military aircraft: a misguided strategic rupture.” The message was received loud and clear by the DGA now led by Emmanuel Chiva, the former head of the Defense Innovation Agency (AID).
The DGA is therefore in charge of catching up with a delay marked by the conflict in Ukraine where drones have proven to be decisive tools for surveillance, intelligence, but also to attack or defend themselves.
In an interview in figaro, Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of Defence, gives an update on the modernization of the Army, which will be equipped this year with Safran’s Patroller tactical drones. Designed for reconnaissance and intelligence, their missions should go further.
The armament of these drones had already been mentioned in 2021. The DGA had asked Safran for a risk elimination study to integrate the armament into the SDT Patroller.
army droneization
The first will be delivered to the 61 artillery regiment as part of the modernization of the Army. To remotely pilot these devices, these gunners obtain a pilot’s license.
Produced by Safran, the Patroller is based on the Stemme S15, a German powered glider, and offers nearly identical performance to MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drones like the American Reapers that equip the French military. It evolves at 20,000 feet with a range of 20 hours and a range of 150 kilometers. You can also guide munitions to moving targets day or night.
A budget of up to 36%
Army droneization is not limited to these devices. Sébastien Lecornu also announced the acquisition of 3,500 small drones in the upcoming LPM (military programming law). Its total budget will be 413,000 million euros for the period 2024-2030.
The Army already has Parrot’s Anafi drone in a militarized version and Thales’ SMDR deployed since 2020. The Army has already received 23 and will have a fleet of 35 systems by 2023.
For the Minister of the Armed Forces, it is now necessary to focus on the modernization of the Army, something neglected for many years. Drones are one element of this sophistication, the central element of which remains the Scorpion program in which new armored vehicles (Griffon, Jaguar, Serval and Leclerc tanks) are connected for collaborative combat.
“[L’armée de Terre] it will digitize prodigiously, it will digitize by acquiring new means of capacity”, announces Sébastien Lecornu, specifying that his credits will increase by 36%.
Source: BFM TV
