“70 years is a great age,” said General David Cruzille, commander of the French Army Light Aviation, or Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre (ALAT). “We are very proud of our history but also of our ability to evolve.”
Evolution is the key to any organization, and ALAT is no exception. But after 10 years of uninterrupted helicopter operations in the Sahel region in Africa, as well as some fine tactical successes to its credit, what will its future hold?
The end of Operation Barkhane in November 2022, which followed Operations Serval and Sabre, put an end to 10 years of very intense engagement of Army helicopters in the Sahel region.
“Today, we can reposition our resources toward the preparation of other engagements and, in particular, toward high-intensity combat,” Cruzille said. “But we had never abandoned this preparation, as evidenced by the large-scale Baccarat exercises in past years. Our regiments are engaged in significant operational preparation work, and the pace of activity is very sustained. We do not want to lose any of our know-how and our ability to intervene in other types of conflicts, such as counter-insurgency.”
From Operation Barkhane, ALAT was able to take away several major assets — the first of which is the crews’ extensive knowledge. “We benefit from a generation with remarkable operational experience,” Cruzille said.
Similar to Cannet-des-Maures, France, home of ALAT’s basic and advanced training, instructors in Dax, France, have combat experience that gives greater meaning to their training. ALAT was also engaged with combat units entrusted to young captains.
“We are now enriched by this generation of captains who have developed a remarkable ability to command in operations, often in very harsh conditions,” Cruzille said. “Some of them are already commanders and so the whole of ALAT will be gradually irrigated by this young generation of senior officers.”
He said another major asset retained is the “hardening of our maintainers and controllers, and in general, all our ‘environmental’ personnel. Here too, we have a seasoned and flexible generation, who will know how to reposition themselves toward another type of commitment.”
Therefore, ALAT is challenged with preserving this experience and passing it on to the next generation, as well as developing technical resources, particularly for its helicopter fleet.
The Russian and Ukrainian conflict demonstrates that losses can be heavy for both sides, and technical innovations such as the use of drones are needed. ALAT, however, continues to see helicopters as a formidable asset to service ground units and an essential tool to compensate for certain shortcomings in warfighting, such as in long-range artillery.
As such, ALAT sees the need to have large fleets of efficient aircraft. However, these ambitious programs can suffer from budgetary restrictions, cooperation that is difficult to set up, and excessively long schedules, Cruzille said.
“Today, we are at the head of a fleet of around 300 aircraft, the majority of which are new generation,” Cruzille said. “We must follow through on this logic in the coming years by completing the modernization of our fleets.”
The Eurocopter Tiger combat helicopter remains a key piece of ALAT’s offensive capabilities. Of the 67 Tiger aircraft in its fleet, just over 50 are already retrofitted to the HAD version. The remaining aircraft are currently being transformed into this version and will be equipped with the Hellfire anti-tank capability, among other upgrades.
The modernization of the Tiger and its transition to a Standard 3 was initially meant to be done in cooperation with Germany. The latter’s withdrawal, as well as technological and strategic breakthroughs, are now leading to a re-examination of the scope of the modernization.
Today, ALAT is looking at a mid-life upgrade of 42 French aircraft in order to extend their life by at least 15 years while allowing them to connect with drones through the manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) concept.
“This renovation has not yet been formally decided,” Cruzille said. If it comes to fruition, it will likely be carried out between 2031 and 2035, which will extend the life of the Tiger until 2045 and beyond.
By 2028, the Tiger fleet will be brought up to Standard 2, and almost all aircraft will receive equipment and software modifications with the numerical simulation (NUMESIM) digitization program, GPS, and Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) developments, which will allow for high-intensity operations and the ability to use laser-guided rockets.
Modernization and longevity are also on the agenda for the fleet of around 100 Airbus AS532Cougar and NHIndustries NH90 Caiman transport helicopters. However, there are strong budgetary constraints here.
After 56 years of service, ALAT’s Aerospatiale SA 330 Pumas are reaching the end of their life. The last aircraft in service can be found in the 3rd Régiment d’Hélicoptères de Combat (RHC) in Etain, France, the 5th Overseas Interarms Regiment in Djibouti, Africa, and the Groupement interarmées d’hélicoptères (GIH) near Paris, France, a joint Army-Air Force unit dedicated to anti-terrorism operations.
The first will be withdrawn from service at the end of 2026, and the four Pumas in Djibouti will be replaced by Caimans in the second half of 2025. Work to modernize the infrastructure will be done between now and then to accommodate the new aircraft.
“The overall mission of the Djibouti helicopters will be unchanged,” Cruzille said, “but the superior capabilities of the Caimans will increase the freedom of maneuver for users.”
The last GIH aircraft will remain in service while a replacement program is established.
“The modernization of the transport helicopters’ fleet is practically complete, with 81 Caiman and about 20 modernized Cougars in service,” Cruzille said. “The Caiman planned for the special forces will arrive in a few years.”
With this endeavor almost finished, ALAT is now focused on replacing around 80 Aerospatiale SA342 Gazelles with the Airbus H160M Guépard. After a half a century of intensive use, the withdrawal of the last Gazelles is expected by 2038, at which time, ALAT will boast a fleet of 100 percent “new generation” aircraft.
“Studies are progressing quickly with the [Guépard],” Cruzille said. The initial target is 169 aircraft for the French Armies, including 80 for the ALAT alone.
“By switching from the Gazelle to the Guépard, we are exchanging a two-ton helicopter for another six-ton one. This increase in size will allow us to better arm the helicopter, opening up other capacities such as medical evacuations or light teams transport,” Cruzille said.
This available space will also allow the helicopter to be specialized. It is also expected to simplify maintenance “with a maintenance hours/flight hours ratio that promises to be very interesting,” Cruzille said.
“Preparing for the future involves connectivity and the use of drones. It is inevitable,” he said. “ALAT is naturally integrated into the French Army’s Scorpion collaborative combat roadmap.”
The arrival of the SICS ALAT digital communication system at the end of 2026 will mark the achievement of a first operational milestone, Cruzille said. This will be followed by the addition of a modular in-flight command capability with the KC2 command and communication kit by 2030, and connectivity of the entire fleet upon delivery of the last Guépard.
“Having helicopters capable of collaborating with drones is essential for us. If we have an air launched effects [ALE] capability, with the ability to command and interact with drones at the right level from our helicopters [and] a bearable cognitive load for the crews, we will be in the right spirit.”
In collaboration with a program conducted in partnership with GAMSTAT, a unit specialized in technical experimentation, the 3rd RHC has launched an experiment with first-person view (FPV) drone teleoperators aboard Gazelles a few months ago. Tests have allowed an operator to control an FPV drone and reach a target five kilometers (0.6 miles) away.
“I believe in the development of ALE and we must get ready to use them as soon as they are available,” Cruzille said. “It is likely that within 10 years, manufacturers will be able to provide us with solid solutions to meet this need.”
He said for 70 years, ALAT has shown that it is “innovative, inventive,” and knows how to “evolve wisely and adapt to the technological context to constantly increase its capacity for intervention and destruction. Evolution is in its DNA.”
