The French army developed in four months a modernization of the 53T2 anti-aircraft system with a 20-mm F2 automatic cannon, which have been in service since the 1970s. The task for the modernized anti-aircraft system is to destroy UAVs.
The project, named Proteus, arose as a result of an analysis of real combat operations as well as Ukraine’s experience with similar measures to modernize anti-aircraft artillery systems and machine guns for further use in combating drones.
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J'ai été développé en 4 mois par la @Stat_20e_ra et l'Agence ministérielle pour l'IA de défense Je suis dédié à la lutte anti-drones Je serai prochainement livré au @35eRAP_CDCJe suis, je suis... ? ➡️ Le canon de 20 mm Proteus #Innovation #MatosTerre pic.twitter.com/ktkEdmzx7i— Armée de Terre (@armeedeterre) January 23, 2025
According to the video you can see above, that was released by the French Army on January 23, 2025, to achieve the desired result, a thermal imaging sight, which is used in the modernized Mistral MANPADS, was attached to the existing anti-aircraft cannon. As the French military state, the first samples of the Proteus in the Standard 1 version will be delivered to the 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment (35e RAP, it is the only such a unit in the French Army) in the near future. This regiment belongs to the forces of constant readiness, participated in numerous peacekeeping and coalition operations, including the operation in Afghanistan.
In parallel, work is underway in France to create the Proteus in the Standard 2 version, which should already integrate AI algorithms for target recognition and prediction of their flight paths. This version should be ready by the summer of this year.
It should be noted that such a breakthrough in the development of military technologies would have been impossible back in 2021, when such projects took years to complete. Modern challenges, as seen on the fronts of the russia-Ukraine war, force us to move towards quick and pragmatic solutions.
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