Has France fallen behind in military drones and embedded AI? A statistical analysis of programs, budgets, manufacturers, successes, and dead ends.
In summary
France has undeniably fallen behind in certain segments of military drones, particularly armed MALE and loitering munitions, despite its recognized expertise in aeronautics, sensors, and naval warfare. There are many reasons for this: a historical preference for manned platforms, high certification requirements, long acquisition cycles, budgetary trade-offs, and a “zero risk” purchasing culture that has discouraged the rapid emergence of aggressive SMEs. The wake-up call is real: the 2024-2030 Military Programming Law (€413 billion) sets aside several billion for drones and robots, the Navy is locking in the VSR700/SDAM, the Army is buying micro-drones (NX70) on a massive scale, and the DGA has launched Colibri/Larinae for loitering munitions. Players are positioning themselves: Turgis & Gaillard (AAROK) on the “low-cost” MALE “, Exail on naval drones, Thales/Safran on sensors and ISR, MBDA/KNDS/Delair on terminal effect, while Preligens‘ AI is internalized at Safran. Verdict: the delay is real but can be made up if the industrial tempo, risk tolerance, and purchase volumes follow suit.
Diagnosis of a delay: technical reality and operational pace
France’s delay can be measured in two ways. First, MALE capacity: France had to purchase American MQ-9 Reapers in 2013 as an “interim solution” due to the lack of a mature national platform. European programs (Talarion, Telemos, then Eurodrone) have accumulated delays and technical compromises. As a result, the armed forces have operated for several years with an imported fleet, limited in its integration of European weapons, while other powers have industrialized their weaponizable drone production lines.
Then came embedded AI and the “mass effect.” Ukraine demonstrated the tactical value of low-cost FPVs and loitering munitions. France, focused on very high standards of airworthiness and cybersecurity, has been slow to create “consumable” families that can be purchased by the thousands. Operational leaders admit that electronic warfare takes down the majority of small drones, requiring accelerated industrial iterations and volume purchases.
Yes, France is lagging behind in the rapid deployment of armed drones and loitering munitions in volume. But it still has strengths: excellence in sensors/optronics, mission architecture, drone-based naval warfare, and a network of SMEs capable of rapid iteration if public procurement follows suit.
The budgetary framework: a military programming law that puts fuel in the engine
The 2024-2030 military programming law allocates €413 billion to defense. The associated report mentions dedicated budgets: drones and robots (≈ €5 billion), innovation (≈ €10 billion), intelligence (≈ €5.4 billion), ground-to-air defense (≈ €5 billion). This trajectory will enable:
- the industrialization of micro-drones for the Army (massive purchases of NX70 and derivatives),
- the contracting of airborne drones (VSR700/SDAM) and surface/submarine drones (Exail, Thales) for the Navy,
- accelerate the development of national loitering munitions (Colibri/Larinae) and low-cost MALE demonstrators with several aeronautical SMEs,
- finance defense AI, with structural decisions: classified supercomputer, additional credits, and integration of Preligens by Safran.
Public money is available, but capabilities must be delivered quickly, in line with a “war economy” approach.
The industrial ecosystem: where are the drone companies?
Air-land axis
- Safran (Patroller): long-endurance ISR platform (airframe derived from a motor glider), deliveries after significant delays. Solid sensors/optronics, but strategic window partly missed in the face of Reapers and new “low-cost” MALE drones.
- Turgis & Gaillard (AAROK): AAROK is positioned as a robust MALE, MTOW ≈ 5.5 t, payload up to 1.5 t, simplified endurance and logistics. Ambition: to quickly deliver a European capability suitable for intelligence and “light” weaponry, with a lower acquisition/operating cost than historical standards.
- ** Novadem (NX70)**: micro-drones *≈ 1 kg*, *45 min* autonomy, 5 km operational range, secure links. The government order for 260 systems (2024) has provided the “mass effect” that the Army’s TTPs were lacking.
- Thales (Spy’Ranger): 330/550 mini-UAV ISR in service, useful at the regimental/brigade level; the sector is mature in terms of payloads (compact AESA, links, fusion).
- MBDA/KNDS/Delair: for loitering munitions, two families, Colibri/Larinae, cover a range of 5 km to 50+ km, with rapid industrialization targets.
The naval axis, a French strong point
- Airbus Helicopters + Naval Group (VSR700/SDAM): Rotary-wing UAS for frigates, combat system integration (Steeris) and operations beyond 200 km depending on profile. Several systems planned for 2028.
- Exail (DriX, AUV/USV): USV DriX from 8 to 16 m, high endurance, ASM missions, hydrography, MCM and coastal surveillance, already evaluated by the Navy and deployed in NATO exercises (≈ 2,000 km crossing under supervised autonomy).
- Thales: naval drones for mine countermeasures with high-performance sonars; the recent delivery of a mine clearance drone to the Navy attests to this.
Observation: France is highly competitive in naval drones (mission architecture, sonar, combat integration). In the land/air sector, it is catching up thanks to volume effects (micro-drones), loitering munitions and agile MALE (AAROK and other demonstrators).
Defense AI: sensors, fusion, detection, and targeting
Mature military AI in France today is focused on upstream intelligence and multi-sensor fusion:
- Preligens (now Safran.AI): geospatial AI, autonomous detection of objects of interest on satellite/air images, DGA contracts (TORNADE ≈ €240 million) and exports. Integration at Safran creates a sensor-AI-optronics continuum.
- Thales/Safran: real-time processing, AESA sensors, multispectral optronics, electronic warfare and degraded navigation, essential when 60-80% of small drones fall victim to jamming.
- MBDA: detection-identification-assignment loops for loitering munitions and collaborative C2.
- Exail: naval autonomy (guidance, avoidance, mission endurance) in complex environments.
The gap with US players (Anduril, Shield AI, Palantir) remains: less “defense-tech” venture capital, slower government markets, regulated exports. France is taking corrective action: additional AI funding (≈ €2 billion redeployed), classified supercomputer, and dedicated investment funds.
Engineers and funding: a problem of scale, not talent
The engineers are there: ONERA, engineering schools, AI laboratories, and industrial champions. The obstacle comes from scale and financing:
- “Defense tech” funding rounds in Europe remain modest, with some generalist investors showing risk aversion.
- Financing is improving: Bpifrance has structured Definvest (tickets €0.5 to €5 million), the Defense Innovation Fund (up to €30 million), and in 2025 launched a consumer Defense Fund (target €450 million, ticket €500) to fuel the BITD.
- The AID is increasing the number of calls for proposals (Colibri, Larinae), calls for challenges, and rapid grants; the European EDF (≈ €7.3 billion over 2021-2027) is financing drones/AI collaborative sensors.
Impact on the ground: SMEs (Novadem, Delair, Turgis & Gaillard, EOS Technologie) are winning contracts and learning to deliver quickly. But the key remains recurring orders (annual batches), without which unit costs remain high.
Purchasing and integration: volumes, doctrine, anti-drone
Volumes and logistics
The ministry has mass-produced micro-drones (several hundred NX70s), is accelerating the development of loitering munitions (target of thousands), and is financing pragmatic MALE drones. The doctrine now favors accepted attrition: better a consumable drone costing a few thousand euros than an overly expensive system that is extremely rare and therefore absent from the battlefield.
Jamming, survivability, C2
In Ukraine, attrition through electronic warfare has reached extreme levels. French responses:
- hardened links and frequency hopping, MIMO antennas,
- alternative navigation (vision-based, terrain-matching) for FPVs and micromunitions,
- distributed C2: delegation of local autonomy and embedded AI to resist outages,
- multi-layer anti-drone (RF/optronic detection, jamming, hard-kill).
The ability to iterate electronics and software in 6-12 months is now strategic. Five-year cycles are no longer suitable for this firmware war.
Costs for companies: certifications, export, supply chain
Three items weigh on competitiveness:
- Certification/airworthiness: high requirements (flight in non-segregated space, cyber security) lengthen cycles and increase costs.
- Controlled exports: ITAR-like regimes, sensitive controls, authorization delays; there is limited room for maneuver when it comes to loitering munitions and payloads.
- Supply chain: import dependencies (electronics, engines) and relocation plans (LPM: securing critical components).
The ongoing rebalancing—purchases in tranches, “agile” calls, co-developments—should lower the total cost and make production rates more reliable.
The current situation by segment and upcoming milestones
Tactical micro-drones
Strength in terms of increasing power. The NX70 equips the section/company. Next steps: “light” embedded electronic warfare, navigation without GNSS, modular payload (designator, decoy, radio relay).
Loitering munitions
Colibri/Larinae are getting the industry on track: range from 5 km to 50+ km, endurance ≈ 45 min to several hours, optimized payloads. Export batches and deployment in Ukraine are catalyzing ramp-up.
The MALE
Eurodrone is making progress (CDR, prototypes), but the immediate operational window is being held by low-cost national demonstrators. AAROK is targeting the “ISR + light strike” segment with field robustness, heavy payloads, and European weapons integration. Objective: initial capabilities by 2026-2027 if tests are successful.
Naval
The Navy is capitalizing on: VSR700/SDAM for frigates, USV DriX (Exail) already proven in maneuvers, mine clearance drones delivered by Thales. This is the area where France leads in Europe, through the integration of sensors, C2 and combat systems.
Embedded AI and fusion
The switch from Preligens to Safran.AI creates a credible French hub for AI ISR. The priorities:
- robust detection on degraded sensor streams,
- assisted targeting on mini-drones and loitering munitions,
- cognitive anti-drone (detection, classification, response),
- naval autonomy (avoidance, persistent missions).
Strategic verdict: the gap can be closed, provided the pace is maintained
Let’s be honest: France’s lag in drone technology is no myth. It can be seen in armed MALE and “cheap” mass effect . But the rebound is underway: volumes of micro-drones, loitering munitions available in series, frugal MALE drones being tested, naval drones well ahead of the pack, AI consolidated by Safran.AI.
The sticking points: pace and consistency. Without recurring orders and risk tolerance (prototyping, breaking, correcting in six months), the gap will widen again. Conversely, if the government maintains annual batches, opens up experiments in OPEX/NATO exercises, pools European purchasing (EDF, SAFE loans) and secures the electronic supply chain, France can return to the forefront in land/air drones while consolidating its naval lead.
Tipping point: dedicate a visible portion of the LPM to disposable drones (FPV, loitering) and multi-layer anti-drone systems, while financing a national MALE deliverable in 24-36 months. This is where the operational advantage for the next five years will be played out.
Sources
– Ministry of the Armed Forces, “2024-2030 Military Programming Law” (official presentation)
– Airbus Helicopters, “France signs framework agreement for Airbus VSR700 program,” June 17, 2025
– Naval News, “French Navy frigates to get VSR700 helicopter drones,” January 7, 2025
– Le Monde, “France launches a race in large drones to try to catch up,” June 18, 2025
– Defense News, “France gauges a new crop of MALE drones for surveillance/strike,” June 20, 2025
– Turgis & Gaillard, AAROK fact sheets and press release (Paris Air Show 2023; prototype flight 2025)
– Novadem, “Record Order of 260 NX70 micro-drones,” June 17, 2024
– Army Recognition, NX70 / Spy’Ranger fact sheets, 2022-2025
– Thales, “Delivery of a new naval mine clearance drone,” November 6, 2025
– Exail, DriX: French Navy trials, REPMUS 25 (Naval News, March 18, 2025; Armada International, October 3, 2025)
– Breaking Defense, “France races for small suicide drones…”, March 30, 2023; EDR Magazine, “KNDS loitering munitions: Larinae and Colibri”, July 5, 2024
– Reuters / Le Monde, “Safran acquires Preligens (€220 million),” September 2, 2024; “Préligens-Safran: AI integration,” June 24, 2024
– European Commission, European Defense Fund (budget ≈ €7.3 billion); Defense News, “EDF funnels money to drones/hypersonic defense/AI ,“ May 1, 2025
– Bpifrance, Definvest and Defense Innovation Fund (tickets €0.5 to €30 million); Le Monde, ”Bpifrance Defense: €450 million target,” March 20, 2025
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