Safran Secures New Deal for Ambitious French FURIOUS Initiative

The French defense acquisition agency DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement) has publicized a new “optional tranche” agreement granted to Safran Electronics & Defense for FURIOUS (FUturs systèmes Robotiques Innovants en tant qu’OUtilS), an advanced research initiative aimed at creating cutting-edge robotic solutions for both mounted and dismounted personnel on the battlefield.

The DGA’s declaration follows successful operational tests of the FURIOUS robotic system, conducted by Safran in late 2021 at the French army’s urban warfare training facility (Sissonne military base) – a pivotal step leading to the final contract phase.

During this phase, participants concentrated on the modular architecture design (hardware and software) intended to guarantee the autonomous functionality of any terrestrial platform, whether manned or unmanned. Safran Electronics & Defense successfully implemented this architecture across three distinctly different platforms included in the FURIOUS initiative. The recently announced optional tranche seeks to further refine this architecture and enhance the robustness of the autonomous capabilities developed (such as tracking waypoints, trajectory playback, leader monitoring, autonomous target acquisition, etc.) in increasingly complex and dynamic environments.

Safran Electronics & Defense leverages its proficiency and knowledge to ensure the autonomy of both terrestrial (robotics) and aerial (drones) platforms: automated planning and control, navigation and geolocation, 3D environmental awareness through semantic segmentation, AI-driven processing, and critical embedded software solutions.

The firm has established its reliability through real-world applications like FURIOUS in France and its European counterpart, iMugs, financed by the European Defense Fund.

Essential components for upcoming initiatives could be devised in the near term, based on the strategic advantages of autonomous functionalities across various scenarios, the efficacy of a thoughtful incremental strategy, and a clear shift towards flexible modular frameworks.

From this perspective, the introduction of the upcoming Vulcain robotics segment by the French army, aimed at formalizing the army’s robotics requirements by 2030, serves as a strong indication for stakeholders of the feasibility of this methodology.

Safran Electronics & Defense has a long history of excellence in inertial navigation, with over 70 years of experience in all foundational technologies. HRG technology has demonstrated its capabilities for rigorous civilian and military applications across all domains: land, air, sea, and space.