French military is moving forward with plans to create the first combat autonomous robotic unit the Pendragon project aims to present its first unit in some form by next summer. The program is being implemented with the participation of the Command of Future Combat and the Ministry's Agency for Defense AI (AMIAD), as reported by Forces Operations Blog.
Within the first unit, the French military intends to work out interaction between ground robotic complexes and unmanned aerial systems. For example, at recent human-machine interaction exercises they tested a scenario in which unmanned systems conduct the seizure of an enemy position.
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It is planned that this robotic unit will be equipped with one unnamed heavy ground robotic complex and five Aurochs 2, while in the air they will be supported by Tundra 2 drones from Hexadrone and Anafi drones from Parrot.
Despite having specific platforms selected for the experimental unit, the report emphasizes that Pendragon's main task is developing a high level of autonomy so as to significantly reduce both the number of drone operators and their workload.The U.S. military has similar plans to acquire highly autonomous smart drones and cut personnel needs.
Frances turn toward ground robotic systems is notable because initially its armed forces were reluctant to field such platforms, but changed their stance after reviewing the experience of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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