When it comes to the prospect of robots dominating the battlefield in the near future, France clearly has its own opinions. They do not seem to be in a rush on this topic, as evidenced by the initiation of the DROIDE project for the French armed forces.
As recently announced by the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) in collaboration with KNDS France and Safran Electronics & Defense, a framework agreement in the field of ground robotics was signed on December 30, 2024. The agreement is valid for seven years, during which "technologies required to meet the needs for ground robotics capabilities up to 2030-2035 will be explored."
The outcome of these seven years of work is expected to be the emergence of a prototype - a multi-purpose ground robot demonstrator designed to support soldiers, enhance the capabilities of combat groups, and reduce their vulnerability. This means that the introduction of robotic ground combat platforms into the French armed forces is unlikely to begin before the latter half of the 2030s.
Meanwhile, KNDS France already has a proposal called CENTURIO, which was introduced in the summer of 2024. This is a whole line of ground combat drones aimed at addressing a wide range of tasks. For instance, there is a variant equipped with the ARX30 combat module featuring a 30mm automatic cannon 30M781MPG designed for remote-detonated ammunition, as well as a sapper version.
Additionally, algorithms for artificial intelligence are being developed for models like ULTRO, which focus on autonomous navigation on roads and trails, as well as following soldiers or other vehicles. Besides wheeled models, there is also the tracked OPTIO, built on the THeMIS chassis from Milrem Robotics.
Safran Electronics & Defense has its own developments as well, having received an order in 2018 from the same DGA for the production of three demonstrators of ground platforms for reconnaissance and transportation tasks within the FURIOUS project.
This means that all participants in the DROIDE project already have something to offer. However, despite this, the DGA is taking another seven years to create a prototype that has a real chance of strengthening the military.
Let us remind you that, in turn, in Ukraine, there may already be over 200 platforms from Milrem Robotics, as well as hundreds, if not thousands of other ground robotic platforms, including "Targans".