Defending civilian shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by the Yemeni Houthis has shown how much of a challenge fighting back against drones is in the sea domain. It's not that drones themselves are difficult to shoot down, the problem is the expense of destroying one with modern precision weapons.
The allies have started searching for cheaper ways to combat swarms of primitive explosive vehicles made by Houthis. Among them, France decided to take a step back and learn from history, and during recent naval military drills showcased the results of its innovation which are, importantly, based on already existing solutions.
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The first in the list is to place a Jaguar armored reconnaissance and combat vehicle on the deck of a ship — in this particular case on a landing craft. Although the Jaguar was originally intended for land operations, it worked for the French Navy.
This fighting vehicle, which has just begun arriving in the French Armed Forces in 2022, utilizes a 40-mm automatic cannon as its main armament. The gun is paired with a modern fire control system providing perfect aiming and stabilization, especially valuable on the rocky footing in the sea. For better stability, the vehicle was suspended with chains. If necessary, the Jaguar crew can also fire the Akeron MP anti-tank guided missile.
The ship's own main artillery weapon, present on any vessel class starting corvette and above, the multi-purpose gun installation, was engaged in anti-drone combat, too. Despite the fact that its role in modern warfare was seen as purely symbolic, as hardly anyone expected to see artillery duels between ships, they are quite effective for shooting at air targets. Though the guns seem to be lacking rapid-fire capability.
Also featured is the F2 20mm automatic gun, the naval version entered service in 1983, but the origins go back to the land-based analog M693 of the 1960s. It was very similar to the German Rh-202, nowadays found on Marder infantry fighting vehicles. The accuracy of F2 fire directly depends on the skill of the gunner.
The same goes for other man-held weapons like machine guns on swivels. These are the last line of the ship's anti-drone defense.
All in all, objectively, the French Navy still does not have a tailored and mass-produced solution to the threat posed by naval and aerial drones. That, however, could be said of any other fleet of the world.
Perhaps, the whole evolution in this domain will ultimately echo the World War II experience, when the warships of all nations entered the war with a minimum of anti-aircraft artillery, and came out jammed with Oerlikon guns.
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