The French army has developed a modernization of the 53T2 anti-aircraft gun with a 20mm F2 automatic cannon, which has been in service since the 1970s, aimed at destroying drones.
The project is named Proteus and is the result of translating the analysis of real combat operations and Ukraine's experience with similar upgrades of anti-aircraft artillery and machine guns for countering drones into practical application.
The modernization approach is also highly pragmatic, which allowed for the system to be created in a relatively short timeframe. A thermal imaging sight, used in the upgraded Mistral MANPADS, has been installed on the existing anti-aircraft gun.
It has been announced that the first samples of Proteus in the Standard 1 version will be delivered to the 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment (the only such unit in the French armed forces) very soon. This regiment belongs to the forces of permanent readiness and has participated in numerous peacekeeping and coalition operations, including in Afghanistan.
Simultaneously, work is underway to create Proteus in the Standard 2 version, which will integrate artificial intelligence algorithms for target recognition and trajectory prediction. This version is expected to be ready by the summer of this year.
In this context, it is worth noting that this development signifies a real paradigm shift. Back in 2021, it would have taken at least four years for something similar to emerge in France, not just four months. However, current realities demand such rapid and pragmatic solutions.