France isn’t just observing from a distance \u2014\u00a0it’s learning in real time. French warplanes and air defense systems are currently deployed in countries such as the United Arab Emirates to fend off Iranian drone counterattacks. A French soldier stationed in Iraq was also killed by an Iranian drone in the early days of the war.<\/p>\n
High-intensity warfare in Ukraine, and now in the Middle East, has exposed the gaps in Western arsenals. NATO’s armed forces are not yet fully equipped<\/a> to fight against cheap threats in a cost-effective manner \u2014 as missiles are significantly more expensive than the unmanned aerial vehicles they’re intercepting.<\/p>\n “We’re working across a whole range of projects to try to bring down costs of taking out Shahed drones,” Tardif explained, referring to the mass-produced Iranian drones being used both by Russia in Ukraine and by Tehran in the Gulf. Cheaper options include firing at drones from Fennec helicopters, which the French military has already tested, and equipping Rafale fighter jets with less expensive laser-guided rockets.<\/p>\n Paris is also actively working with French companies Alta Ares and Harmattan AI on cheaper interceptor drones, the general said, confirming previous POLITICO reports<\/a>. While not yet fully operational, Alta Ares’ program is “ramping up,” he added, and equipment is already on the ground in the Middle East.<\/p>\n