Arquus is working alongside the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) and the Army to contribute to the development of an innovative anti-drone capability (LAD) based on technologies already in service on vehicles in the SCORPION program. This approach responds to the rapid evolution of aerial threats and the need to provide the Armed Forces with a new self-defense capability against drones.
An operational need that has become a priority
The widespread use of drones in theaters of operation requires new, rapid, and agile responses. The HORNET Air Guard initiative, based on the T1 turret already in service on the Army's GRIFFON and SERVAL vehicles, is part of this context. It was mentioned by the Chief of Staff of the Army during his press conference last September, illustrating the Armed Forces' desire to explore concrete solutions based on proven equipment.
This dynamic marks a collective movement: moving away from traditional approaches to accelerate the arrival of pragmatic solutions that benefit melee units.
An agile and responsive approach to innovation
Over the past decade, the DGA has chosen to structure a national turret sector, entrusted to Arquus and now embodied by the HORNET family. This technical expertise, acquired over time, now enables faster innovation by adapting proven components.
The LAD approach builds on this sovereign industrial base to offer a solution capable of:
to detect a drone,
then contribute to its neutralization,
all while maintaining an architecture that is already widely deployed in the armed forces.
This choice avoids having to design a completely new system, which would be more time-consuming and costly, and allows capabilities to be tested quickly in a controlled environment.
Horne Turret Air Guard
A novel working format to accelerate innovation
The approach taken by the DGA takes the form of an experiment conducted within an in-service program. It is an innovative approach: measuring the potential of a capability based on an initial demonstrator provided by Arquus, then evaluating experimental kits within units after only a few months.
All stakeholders—the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA), the armed forces, and industry—share a common goal: to test a new self-defense capability against drones in spring 2026, in line with the Army's operational planning work, so that implementation can begin as soon as possible.
This collaborative model illustrates how innovation can be accelerated when it is based on industrial expertise in technological building blocks.
For the DGA, this approach is an example of an innovative working format. For Arquus, it confirms the relevance of its investments in the turret sector and its commitment to supporting the Army in its capability priorities.
ABOUT ARQUUS
Arquus is a French defense company specializing in protected mobility and a European leader in the design, production, and maintenance of armored vehicles. It has been part of the John Cockerill industrial group since July 2024. This strategic consolidation opens up new technological, industrial, and commercial opportunities while complementing John Cockerill Defense's product offering. A long-standing partner of the French armed forces, having designed and produced 90% of the French Army's wheeled vehicles, Arquus actively contributes to the development of the forces through the SCORPION program, placing soldier safety at the heart of its research. As a designer of durable armored vehicles, Arquus is behind iconic vehicles such as the SHERPA, VAB, BASTION, and VLRA. With a fleet of nearly 30,000 vehicles in service across five continents, 22,000 of which are directly supported by its teams, Arquus is committed to providing reliable, high-performance defense solutions tailored to the strategic challenges of today and tomorrow. Developing autonomous military platforms adapted to all theaters of operations, Arquus creates tailor-made solutions by anticipating the needs of land forces on a daily basis. Arquus is also a systems integrator and designer through its HORNET business unit, which produces the remote-controlled turrets for the SCORPION program. With a security and defense range extending from heavy armored vehicles to remote-controlled robots, Arquus shapes tailor-made solutions for the future of land defense.
