“This machine, which we call a drone, is not alive. However, when it rushed from its catapult in the void, it always had the effect of an animated creature that we would throw in the sky To enlighten the earth. Its steel wings that would wear it and its robotic lenses which would discover our enemies. ‘Weren’t doubted: it was not the drone that caused death, it is us. “
This quote is an extract from the book of Colonel Pierre-Yves Le Viavant, Drone pilotpublished by Les Belles Lettres Éditions, in the Memoires de Guerre collection. It is a very instructive testimony to the use of drones during a deployment in Afghanistan in 2010. And it is quite simply the first story of a drone unit in the French army. He earned Colonel Le Vanvant the Captain Thomas-Gauvin 2024 prize, which rewards a soldier in activity every year for a work on the employment of force.
With him, we are going to talk about drones in the French army, but also the explosion of their use, as we can see in Ukraine.
Find all the Episodes of the General Staff
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the staff on Apple Podcasts,, Spotify,, Deezer,, Podcast Addict And Amazon Music.
The team: Clément Daniez (presentation and writing), Jules Krot (editing and realization)
Logo: Jérémy Cambour and Adrien Levieux
How to listen to a podcast? Follow the leader.
To go further:
Dji, the Chinese drone giant that the United States hate
How Ukraine was inspired by Israel to trap Russian drone control glasses
France at the offensive on military drones: our video report