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How drones are making their way onto the battlefield

4 episodes
  • 1
    Should France invest more in naval drones?
  • 2
    Military drones: current trends in the market
  • 3
    Innovation in defence: how start-ups are making their mark
  • 4
    "It is virtually impossible to defend against drones"
Épisode 1/4
On February 1st, 2023
3 min reading time
PERIA_Léo
Léo Péria-Peigné
researcher at the Ifri Centre for Security Studies

Key takeaways

  • The French Navy is currently working on three types of drones: a medium-sized helicopter drone, a small airborne drone and a drone system for mine countermeasures.
  • France has a solid industrial base for the construction of naval drones, consisting of small structures and large groups.
  • The use of drones would allow the Navy to reduce its costs and potential losses and free up personnel for other missions.
  • Internal institutional factors, related to the weapons development process and their integration within the Navy, are significantly hampering the development of naval drones.
Épisode 2/4
On October 11th, 2022
5 min reading time
Laure COLIN
Laure Colin
PhD student at the Centre for Management Research (I³-CRG*) at École Polytechnique (IP Paris)

Key takeaways

  • The drone market is growing rapidly in large part due to the high demand for drones in military applications.
  • Although it has long been dominated by the United States and Israel, new players are entering the market such as Turkey and Iran.
  • It is estimated that more than 80 countries now have military drones: armed or surveillance.
  • The market is currently driven by civilian drones, which are mass-market, low-cost and can easily be adapted for military use.
  • The rapid development of drones is giving rise to new challenges: autonomy, connectivity, and cybersecurity.
Épisode 3/4
On May 17th, 2022
4 min reading time
Lucie Liversain_1
Lucie Liversain
PhD student at I³-CRG* at École Polytechnique (IP Paris)

Key takeaways

  • Dual-use technologies, with both civilian and military applications, are increasingly coming from civilian industry, which have shorter innovation timeframes.
  • Alongside specialised industries, an ecosystem of defence start-ups is emerging whilst still targeting civilian markets for scale-ups.
  • But while there are dual technologies, true dual companies are rare.
  • For the armed forces, the use of open innovation also aims at running exploratory projects with the hope that real breakthroughs will emerge.
  • An open ecosystem, in which public and private players work closely together, makes it possible to attract talent to jobs in short supply.
Épisode 4/4
On November 28th, 2023
4 min reading time
Thierry Berthier
Thierry Berthier
Scientific director of the European professional federation for security drones

Key takeaways

  • The use of drones dates back to the early 2000s in the fight against terrorism by the Americans.
  • There is an enormous variety of drones to suit different uses: civilian (leisure or professional) or military (combat, intelligence, etc.).
  • Drones can represent a risk, because they are very accessible, inexpensive, and highly adaptable, and their effectiveness is formidable.
  • Since 2021, the Drones4Sec Federation has been working to improve defence against drone attacks, particularly so-called “swarm” attacks.