The Russian-Ukrainian war provide a window into what future wars could be like. There, battles are decided by a combination of trench warfare straight out of the last century and swarms of killer drones worthy of a science-fiction film.
From Russian hypersonic missiles to Israeli laser cannons and Chinese anti-satellite rockets, no country wants to be left behind in this new arms race. In Paris, we met the red team. This group of military personnel, scientists and science-fiction scriptwriters has been commissioned by the French Ministry of Defence to imagine the wars of the future. Some of their work has just been classified as a defence secret. At Arquus, teams are finalizing a 100% autonomous military logistics convoy, with no pilot on board. Meanwhile, near Bordeaux, start-up Icarus Swarms is working on swarms of drones capable of coordinating with AI to carry out grouped attacks.
In Ukraine, Ivan Sybyriakov coordinates several high-tech drone manufacturers who are developing low-cost, lethal weapons capable of curbing the numerical superiority of the Russian enemy. We discover these secret factories, which operate around the clock, and follow the tactical units that use them on the front line.
But the use of such intelligent equipment raises many legal and ethical questions. In China and Russia, weapons programmed to kill by themselves, without any human intervention, are already in use.