How France’s SCORPION Vehicles Are Being Transformed to Fight the Drone Menace

In the evolving theatre of modern war, one threat has proven both ubiquitous and vexing: the small, agile drone. From the deserts of the Middle East to the plains of Eastern Europe, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have become indispensable to adversaries seeking low-cost, high-impact effects.

Recognising this strategic shift, the French Army is embedding anti‑drone capabilities deep within its core combat platforms — particularly the wide‑ranging SCORPION family of armoured vehicles.

At the heart of this transformation is a simple premise: rather than relying on specialised, stationary counter‑UAS batteries, every combat unit should be able to detect and neutralise drone threats autonomously. This reflects the stark lessons of recent conflicts, where drones — especially small quadcopters and first‑person‑view (FPV) types — have wreaked disproportionate damage on convoys, command posts, and forward positions. The French Army’s leadership, including Chief of Staff General Pierre Schill, has emphasised that future battlefields will be saturated with such aerial threats, and units lacking organic defences will be vulnerable.

Adapting What Already Works

One of the most intriguing projects in this area involves repurposing existing weapon stations on SCORPION vehicles. Renault‑Arquus’s Hornet remote weapon station — currently fitted to Griffon and Serval armoured platforms — has been reimagined for counter‑drone roles under the name Hornet Air Guard. Instead of solely mounting traditional machine guns or grenade launchers, this variant integrates dedicated sensors, radars, and tracking algorithms designed to identify and engage small UAVs within the immediate vicinity of the vehicle.

The strategy underpinning Hornet Air Guard is both pragmatic and ambitious. By modifying an existing, widely fielded system, the French Army can achieve a relatively rapid and cost‑effective enhancement of its anti‑drone posture. Around 800 Hornet turrets are already in service, and they offer a proven baseline for further adaptation.

The envisioned kit includes radar and radio‑frequency detection systems mounted on the existing launcher ring to provide 360‑degree surveillance, independent of the turret’s orientation. Once a threat is detected, the system’s optics and fire‑control suite can direct weapons such as machine guns or automatic grenade launchers to neutralise the target.

Early tests have been promising. Controlled trials on ranges like Suippes demonstrated the variant’s ability to intercept and destroy quadcopter drones with a few well‑placed bursts, even as targets manoeuvred unpredictably. While these results are experimental, they underscore the potential of equipping every SCORPION vehicle with a “last‑line” protective layer without waiting for specialised ground‑based defence units to arrive.

A Broader Basket of Counter‑UAS Tools

Alongside the Hornet Air Guard concept, the French Army is also expanding its traditional counter‑drone toolkit. For example, dedicated Serval C‑UAV/Anti‑Drone vehicles — variants of the multi‑role Serval armoured car — are being developed with integrated 3D radars, radio‑frequency sensors, and a 30 mm ARX30 remote‑controlled cannon designed to engage small aerial targets effectively.

These specialised platforms aim to provide a more comprehensive, sensor‑to‑shooter solution on the battlefield. Their ability to detect, track, and engage hostile drones from greater distances, and with higher energy weapons such as programmable airburst munitions, makes them invaluable against swarming or multiple simultaneous threats — scenarios where lighter systems might struggle.

Yet the Army’s thinking does not centre solely on hard‑kill measures. Electronic warfare and soft‑kill options — including RF jamming, signal disruption, and laser systems like HELMA‑P — are also under investigation to complement kinetic effects. These technologies, when integrated with vehicle networks, can provide layered defence, reducing the reliance on any single method of engagement.

Doctrine and Networked Defence

Integral to this evolution is the SCORPION programme’s battle management and networking ethos. Vehicles are not standalone platforms but nodes within a collaborative combat network that shares sensor data, target tracks, and engagement decisions in real time. This integrated battlefield awareness is crucial for counter‑drone operations, where seconds matter and multiple platforms must coordinate to intercept fast, low‑signature threats before they slip through.

Indeed, the French Army’s emphasis on distributed anti‑drone capability reflects a broader shift within Western militaries. Where once air defence was the domain of specialist units, the proliferation of cheap drones has made that model increasingly untenable. By distributing counter‑UAS systems across every tactical vehicle, commanders can ensure that even the most forward elements of a force have at least a chance to defend themselves.

Challenges Ahead

However, this approach is not without its challenges. Ensuring that vehicle crews are not overwhelmed by additional sensor inputs, weapon controls, and decision loops — all while conducting their primary missions — requires careful human‑machine interface design and robust training. Meanwhile, adversaries continue to refine their drone tactics, exploiting autonomy, swarm behaviours, and electronic countermeasures that could blunt current defensive measures.

Nevertheless, by marrying adaptability with innovation, France’s military is positioning the SCORPION family to face head‑on one of the defining threats of 21st‑century land warfare. In doing so, it underscores a vital point: in the age of drones, survival increasingly depends on seeing, understanding, and acting — quickly and collectively.

This file comes from the website of the French Army (Armée de Terre): https://www.defense.gouv.fr/terre.