TANK GUNNERS TO FPV PILOTS: France Transforms Soldiers Into Drone Operators...

France converted one of its elite 1st Marine Infantry Regiment's cavalry squadrons entirely into a drone combat unit this year, recruiting tank and reconnaissance vehicle gunners like 21-year-old Corporal Igor to pilot FPV attack drones instead. The move, inspired by Ukrainian tactics, proved successful enough that the French Army aims to field around 15 such drone squadrons by summer 2027, with units already deployed to Romania and heading to Poland for NATO exercises. The shift signals how quickly European militaries are reorganizing around drone warfare after witnessing its effectiveness against conventional armor in Ukraine.