France launches a call to design “prowling ammunition”

With the war in Ukraine, the outbreak of a high-intensity conflict in doors of the European Union has upset the military ambitions of European countries. Some states like Germany have therefore recalculated the budget allocated to the armed forces. For its part, France has decided to update its arsenal. the Ministry of the Armed Forces published a press release on its website, relayed by Opex360 on May 9, concerning two calls for projects relating to the design of prowling ammunition. Those drone suicide bombers carrying an explosive charge, led by an operator, are able to fly autonomously before engaging a designated target. Stalker ammunition, which has been in use since the mid-2010s, came under heavy scrutiny in early May, with the US now delivering drones Switchblade and ghost phoenix to Ukraine.

Catching up with technology

The two calls for projects, Colibri and Larinae, are part of the strategy of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, aiming to ” conduct and prepare several armament operations in the field of contact drones and tactical drones ». Larinae must be able to destroy an armored vehicle within a radius of 50 km around its point of deployment, with a minimum flight autonomy of 60 minutes. Colibri will have to be effective at shorter range, with a flight time of 30 minutes and a range of 5 km.

The French army is already equipped with drones used for reconnaissance and intelligence, such as the Black Hornet or the Anafi USA. But it could equip itself with units capable of “neutralizing”, of destroying an enemy target. Regarding prowling ammunition, many European countries and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are lagging behind.

An article by International Defense and Security (DSI) published in 2021 thus recalled that many countries had begun a transition towards the design and use of prowling ammunition, including Turkey, Russia, Poland, China and the United States. Israel largely dominates this market with, in particular, the IAI Harpy and IAI Harop, the latter model having been used in 2020 during the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Kamikaze drones, the essential ammunition of tomorrow?

The first drafts of prowling ammunition began in the 1980s in Israel, but these drones were not used for the first time until about 30 years later, during the Four Day War in Nagorno-Karabakh. . Kamikaze drones such as the Switchblade or the Harop are to be distinguished from the American Predator and Reaper drones or Turkish units Bayraktar TB-2both on the characteristics and on their respective uses.

A MQ-1 Predator UAV measures 8 meters by 12.5 meters; it can carry out reconnaissance operations up to 740 kilometers away or even drop missile such as the AGM-114 Hellfire without being destroyed. On a comparative scale, a Switchblade 300 measures just 50 centimeters, with a range of about 10 kilometers. But, unlike the Predator, the Switchblade will crash into its target, self-destructing in the process. These relatively recent devices are however subject to certain preconceived ideas: in April 2021, an article published on the RTBF website reported that the prowling munitions chose their targets themselves. A fundamentally false assertion, these combat drones being piloted using tablets by ground operators.

It is difficult to predict whether the use of kamikaze drones will become more democratic in the years to come. The announcement by the Ministry of the Armed Forces could point to a desire to adapt to the challenges of tomorrow’s conflicts, while geopolitical tensions have been rekindling since February 24. It will nevertheless take a few years to witness the creation of French prowling ammunition. The call for projects ends on July 6, while future drones will not be put into circulation until 2024.