Sébastien Lecornu, France’s Minister for the Armed Forces, has signed a ‘UAV pact’ at EUROSATORY 2024 to enhance collaboration between the French military and the national drone industry. The initiative focuses on developing strategic unmanned capacities for drones under 150 kilograms and marks the first industrial pact between the French defense sector and the government’s procurement agency, DGA.
France’s Minister for the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, has signed a “UAV pact” at EUROSATORY 2024. This initiative aims to enhance collaboration between the French military and the national drone industry, specifically focusing on developing strategic unmanned capacities for drones under 150 kilograms. This marks the first industrial pact between the French defense sector and the government’s procurement agency, DGA.
General Erwan Salmon from the DGA will oversee the pact, emphasizing the need for standardization and faster production of drones. The initiative aims to align French military requirements with industry capabilities, especially in light of lessons learned from the Ukraine conflict.
Colonel Hervé Mermod noted that modular payloads for imaging, electromagnetic intelligence, and weaponization are priorities. The pact also aims to strengthen the fragmented French drone industry, featuring SMEs like Delair, Parrot, and Hexadrone, which have been supplying UAV systems to Ukraine.
The initiative reflects a broader global trend towards enhancing small drone capabilities, paralleled by the U.S. and other nations’ efforts to adapt acquisition processes to rapidly evolving technologies.
