In January 2025, it was reported that the French military was experimenting with launching FPV drones from transport helicopters, particularly as part of experiments exploring the role of helicopters on the modern battlefield.
Now the French have gone further in their search. Now, they are experimenting with the possibility of launching FPV drones from a light transport aircraft similar to the An-28.
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According to Opex360, this experiment was conducted by the Centre d’expertise aérienne militaire (CEAM) in the interests of the General Staff of the French Air Force. The purpose of the experiment is to test the practicality of launching FPV drones and "other guided munitions" from light transport aircraft, aiming to provide "additional capabilities" to French special forces.
For this experiment, one of the DHC 6 Twin Otter utility aircraft available at the 123rd Air Base was used, which is quite comparable to the An-28 in terms of its characteristics.
It is known that inert (i.e., training) ammunition was used in this episode. The experiment is recognized as successful, but the technical details related to the process are not made public. We can only rely on the photos that were posted on social media.
On behalf of Defense Express, we would like to emphasize that, under the current conditions of the russian-Ukrainian war, the concept described above—in its distilled form, i.e., placing a drone operator on board a light transport aircraft and launching FPV kamikaze drones during the flight—may not appear entirely practical.
However, the concept of "light aircraft as a launch pad for attack drones," or simply the combination of light aircraft and unmanned technologies, could very well be implemented if the right approach is found. We can also recall the russian plan to use the An-2 as a "tow" for the Lancet kamikaze drones, which was not implemented.
However, we can also mention the use of unmanned bombers equipped with FAB-250 bombs to strike the frontline and russian territory by the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
Earlier Defense Express reported that France had offered Rafale and SAMP/T instead of F-35 and Patriot.
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