Proteus: How France Is Reinventing Anti-Drone Defence Inspired by Ukraine
The French Army has begun testing a new counter-drone defence system called Proteus, developed in record time and now in training with the 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment. The exercises are taking place at the vast Canjuers military range in southern France and mark an important step in the country’s modernisation of its short-range air-defence forces. The system was born from a simple yet innovative idea: to reuse and upgrade old 20-millimetre anti-aircraft cannons by mounting them on mobile trucks and equipping them with modern optics, sensors, and fire-control software to fight drones. The goal is to build an agile, fast, and low-cost defence capability against threats that are increasingly widespread and difficult to intercept.