France Experiments with Smaller Armored Units to Evade Drone Attacks

France Experiments with Smaller Armored Units to Evade Drone Attacks

The French Army is exploring new strategies to restore offensive maneuverability on an increasingly transparent battlefield, threatened by the constant menace of drones. General Bruno Baratz, head of the Future Combat Command, revealed during an innovation event held at the 7th Armored Brigade in Besançon that the main objective is to create "opacity" through a series of techniques, from electronic engineering to cyber warfare.

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A Transparent Battlefield and the "Death Zone"

The combination of battlefield transparency and modern precise weapons has created a "death zone" along the front lines, where approaching the enemy has become extremely risky. General Baratz described this situation as a "tactical stalemate," comparing it to the conditions of World War I, where artillery and machine guns made offensive maneuvers nearly impossible without suffering heavy losses.

Technologies to Break the Tactical Stalemate

To overcome this stalemate, the French Army is exploring various technologies. Among these, physical decoys, such as inflatable copies of military equipment, and electromagnetic warfare, which include simulations of command posts. During the innovation day, examples of these technologies were shown, including inflatable replicas of a Caesar howitzer and a light armored vehicle VBL.

The Importance of Electronic and Cyber Warfare

Baratz emphasized the importance of electronic and cyber warfare in creating a tactical advantage. "How can we blind the adversary? How can we mislead them about our intentions? How can we create a temporary vulnerability with the adversary to restore the moment and offensive action?", he declared. The goal is to disrupt the enemy's sensors or ensure they see incorrect information, allowing forces to concentrate without being destroyed.

New Technologies on the Battlefield

Among emerging technologies, Baratz mentioned quantum technology for secure communications and advanced sensors, as well as multi-spectral analysis, which allows seeing through tree cover. These innovations, often driven by artificial intelligence, are providing capabilities never imagined before. However, the rapid technological evolution presents challenges, especially in telecommunications, where the French Army lags behind the civilian sector in terms of bandwidth and data transmission capacity.

Innovation as an Element of Operational Superiority

Baratz stated that innovation has become a crucial element of operational superiority, with the need to continuously adapt systems and incorporate new technologies. The Future Combat Command has adopted a bottom-up approach, encouraging experimentation and adaptation at the regiment level. Each regiment receives 150,000 euros per year for autonomous projects or for the purchase of ready-to-use kits, with an increase of 35 million euros in the 2027 defense budget.

Future Challenges and Opportunities

The French Army has identified areas of interest such as robotics, autonomous vehicles, discrete mobility, and energy generation on the battlefield. New companies, especially European ones, are entering these sectors, stimulating innovation and the broader ecosystem. Baratz also mentioned the importance of light mobility, with initiatives involving electric scooters, motorcycles, and quads to be faster and stealthier on the battlefield.

Electric Energy: An Advantage and a Vulnerability

Electric energy allows forces to be more discreet but also represents an area of vulnerability due to the need for advanced intelligence collection systems and data hubs that require a lot of energy. The Future Combat Command is exploring "frugal artificial intelligence," designed to consume as little energy as possible. "All of this is future combat," Baratz said, emphasizing the difficulty of predicting what the battlefield will look like in one or two years due to the rapid pace of technological evolution.

Strategic Implications and Historical Lessons

Baratz highlighted how the modern battlefield is "radically changed" from the past, when military tactics were organized around geography. He cited the example of France in 1940, when the lack of tactical adaptation led to serious consequences. Innovation is now seen as a key element to maintaining operational superiority, with an approach that combines both large programs and open architecture solutions.

The Role of Civil Technologies and Open Architecture

The French Army is also exploring the use of civil technologies for military purposes, with a focus on open architecture systems. This approach allows for greater flexibility and adaptability, enabling the integration of new technologies more quickly and efficiently. Baratz emphasized the importance of stimulating innovation at the regiment level, with dedicated funds for autonomous projects and the purchase of ready-to-use kits.

Conclusions and Future Perspectives

The challenge for the French Army is to quickly adapt to a continuously evolving environment where technology is changing the way combat is conducted. Baratz stated that the future of combat remains difficult to imagine, but continuous innovation is fundamental to maintaining operational superiority. With an approach that combines tradition and innovation, the French Army is seeking to reinvent itself to face the challenges of the modern battlefield.