Earlier, we reported that the russian federation was practicing a new tactic, launching an FPV drone from a helicopter to destroy the Magura V5 drones. This news attracted attention not only because the russians are looking for another means to counter Ukrainian maritime drones, but also because they are trying to combine a helicopter and a drone on the battlefield.
Now there is a new example, but this time the French are experimenting with a combination of a helicopter and an FPV drone.
Read more: Ukraine Forces Secretly Use V-BAT Experimental Drones Testing Them For USA
The French Opex360 wrote that recently the 3rd Combat Helicopter Regiment of the army aviation conducted an experiment with placing a drone operator on board an unnamed type of helicopter. It is known that the result satisfied the French.
At first glance, nothing much happened in this story. However, it seems that the French think differently, as they describe this experiment as an integral part of their conceptual search for combining helicopters and various types of drones into a single reconnaissance and strike system that will have prospects in the future.
The French military envisages that such a system will be able to combine existing types of helicopters and UAVs and, using current models, gain new capabilities on the battlefield.
For instance, to include operators of reconnaissance UAVs in the crews of Tiger attack helicopters to provide additional situational awareness.
Another option is to include drone operators as an additional crew member on NH90 and H160M helicopters to reduce the cognitive load on the main crew.
The French military believes that in 10-15 years they will have specialized types of drones designed for deployment from various types of helicopters.
Earlier Defense Express reported that France had sent its first domestically-made killer drones to Ukraine.
Read more: Ukraine Poised to Break Drone Production Record in 2024–2025: 1.8 million UAVs Contracted
