Counter-drone: Arquus develops self-protection for the French Army with Hornet T1 turret

A new French counter-drone self-protection capability is currently being developed with the support of Arquus. The company is working with the DGA (Direction générale de l’armement, the French defence procurement agency) and the French Army. The project is based on proven technological building blocks from the Scorpion programme and the Hornet T1 turret.

The approach is part of an agile innovation dynamic built on a structured national turret industry that has existed for more than ten years. It is intended to quickly provide the land forces with an effective solution adapted to evolving threats.

According to Arquus, the widespread use of drones in operational areas calls for new responses that are fast and flexible.

Hornet Air Guard for counter-drone defence

The Hornet Air Guard initiative fits into this framework. It is based on the T1 turret already in service on the French Army’s Griffon and Serval vehicles. The Chief of Staff of the French Army mentioned it at his press conference last September – a sign that the armed forces intend to develop concrete solutions based on proven equipment.

The Hornet family of turrets is developed and built by Arquus and was qualified by the French Army under the Scorpion programme. These new-generation turrets equip the Griffon and Jaguar, which are among the French Army’s newest vehicles.

Arquus’ Hornet turrets can be fitted with fully automatic weapons in 7.62 millimetre (1,000 rounds), 12.7 millimetre (300 rounds) and 40 millimetre (64 rounds) calibres, as well as with smoke grenade launchers. Equipment includes armoured electronics, electro-optical and infrared imaging and remote control. Gyrostabilisation and automatic tracking of moving targets ensure a high hit probability.