France is preparing to field its own anti-drone systems of the Vampire type but this is a domestic design that uses the Mistral 3 MANPADS, not the cheap laser-guided anti-Shahed APKWS-armed American Vampire that has seen extensive use in Ukraine.
According to the manufacturer, Scania Public and Defense, the first 50 units will be delivered starting summer 2026. The system will replace TRM 2000 trucks and VLRA communications/reconnaissance/support vehicles in the 54th artillery regiment.
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Vampire is compatible with the PAMELA system a light, air-transportable launcher for the Mistral. Put simply: it’s essentially a vehicle-mounted MANPADS tube, i.e. a single soldier-operated launcher installed on a truck.
The development was carried out by Scania in close cooperation with its Swedish division. Production will take place at the company's facility in Angers, so the system will be presented as a domestic product.
The solution is intended primarily to counter low-flying targets and UAVs. Today this niche lacks other missile systems, though there are gun-based and anti-drone platforms such as Proteus and the VAB ARLAD (the latter being more of an anti-drone vehicle).
Most likely the French complex will be more expensive to operate than the American Vampire, which has proven effective in Ukraine and the US. That applies both to kill performance and to the relatively low cost of APKWS-equipped rockets in practice APKWS can be the more pragmatic option than classical MANPADS.
A European analogue is being developed by Thales a transnational company of French origin. It is quite possible France did not procure Thales' system because the launcher was not ready when the procurement decision was made, so they chose the more traditional MANPADS-based route.
The mass proliferation of UAVs in recent years has pushed states to reconsider short-range air-defence solutions. That includes both classic gun- and missile-based systems and directed-energy (laser) weapons.
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