France tests multicopter AVATAR equipped with German HK416
The French Armaments Directorate General, a body within the Ministry of Defense, has begun testing the AVATAR unmanned aerial vehicle.
Here's What We Know
The Ministry published a photo on its official Twitter page, from which it is clear that AVATAR is equipped with six rotors, i.e. it is a hexacopter. It is likely to replace the DJI Matrice 600. The Chinese company's UAV was tested by the French several years ago, but failed to achieve the desired results.
AVATAR est un projet de mini-#drone armé mené by DGA Techniques terrestres sous l'impulsion de l'@Agence_ID, qui permettra à l'@armeedeterre de réaliser des travaux technico-opérationnels pour affiner la compréhension des avantages et inconvénients de ce type de systèmes pic.twitter.com/1VCSwd8wex
- Direction générale de l'armement (@DGA) September 22, 2022
The main feature of the AVATAR is that the drone is equipped with the German HK416 assault rifle. The French Ministry of Defense wants the drone to be able to hit targets at a distance of 100-150 meters.
It is not yet specified at what stage the French development is at. At the same time it is known that the General Directorate of Armaments intends to begin combat tests at the end of 2022 or early 2023. Now the specialists want to solve the problem of strong recoil during firing.
Source: @DGA
