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\u201cThis is really what I would say a transformation of the defense demand. On the battlefield, out of the transformation of the battlefield, we have new objects appearing. Drones are one of them, loitering munitions. They require a different trade-off between technology and needs, and cost efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoes it mean big programs are off the table? Of course not. Look at the U.S. NGAD Next-Generation Air Dominance, look at the CCA Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Look at the Golden Dome. We are not saying at all that big programs of record are off the table, but what we are saying, alongside we have an evolution of defense demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The transformed battlefield requires reinforced protection of existing assets such as tanks, combat vehicles or frigates, for example by adding counter-UAS capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saudo cited frigates in the Red Sea that were initially firing missiles to counter Houthi drones: \u201cEfficient, but not cost efficient.\u201d Safran equipped French frigates with a Paseo XLR electro-optical sensor to see drone threats at 40 kilometers away, allowing early identification and giving frigates the cheaper option of using their 76 mm cannon rather than a missile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cReinforcing the protection of existing elements, and alongside, capacity, building mass and what I would call new defense, meaning objects with a different trade-off in terms of technology and needs and cost efficiency. This is a transformation of the defense demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On supply-side transformation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe also see a transformation of the supply side with new players, be it startups or commercial players, but also existing players, where to play in the new defense arena it\u2019s all about agility, innovation, shortened cycles, being able to do incremental innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Safran took four weeks to implement PASEO XRL on the French frigates, developed its Skyjacker counter-UAS system based on GNSS spoofing in six months, and in Ukraine integrated the AASM Hammer precision-guided munition on Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su-25 aircraft in four months. \u201cThat\u2019s indeed agility, innovation, which is part of what is required today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I talk about new defense, agility, innovation, part of it is also market players taking risks.\u201d Saudo said Safran has self-financing products including drones, loitering munitions and infrared binoculars, even as he repeated that programs of record will continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the current environment, you need financially to be able to invest. The defense market is moving fast, and it\u2019s in transformation. It\u2019s about tech and industry: tech innovation, agility, industry capacity to scale up production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On defense AI and data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The company\u2019s artificial-intelligence unit employs 250 people, \u201cthe biggest defense and security pool of AI professionals in Europe for production AI. Many people are talking about developing AI, research AI. This is not the business of Safran.AI. It\u2019s in production, at the heart of real, combat-proven missions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Safran in September acquired Preligens, now Safran.AI, which uses AI to analyze images, video and acoustic signals to identify objects of military interest. Saudo said several armed forces around the world use Safran\u2019s AI products for surveillance and detection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat we stand for is an open architecture, meaning capacity for the AI solutions of Safran to be agnostic to sensors and harbor data coming from different sensors. Safran is an equipment manufacturer, so our DNA is at equipment level, and being open to work with the different players.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are really where the mission requires. Part of it is edge AI, so we already have edge-AI solutions for full motion video.\u201d Saudo said the company\u2019s Euroflir 410 electro-optical system or a PASEO sight can typically use edge AI for data treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also an embarked data hub, a concentrator of data close to the battlefield, which is a second piece. It can be on a frigate, concentrating the different data sources, or on the battlefield, concentrating different sensors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSafran is just an enabler for the armed forces, and then it is for them to decide at which echelon the information sort of circles back, knowing that the beauty of data is it can go in many directions. So you can have sort of short loops, but also longer loops with different level of analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat we know out of Ukraine is the importance of decentralizing the decisions. If the armed forces decentralize the action, it requires different level of data concentration and making sense of the data. We do not believe in one size fits all, where all the data goes from the battlefield to a satellite to another satellite, and then down to a big sort of center.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s for the tacticians to decide the way they operate. All we do is we provide enablers, and because our AI architectures are open, because we have this capacity to have both Edge AI and embarked data hub, we then provide optionality for the armed forces, which enables decentralization where they wish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On growth areas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Saudo sees growth opportunities in Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance, with AI-enhanced ISTAR core for Safran \u201cbecause it\u2019s at the junction of electro-optical and AI.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A second area of growth is resilient or assured position, navigation and timing. \u201cHow do you make sure that thanks to the combination of inertial navigation, GNSS, etc, you are immune to spoofing, to jamming, be it for your munitions, be it for your vehicles, be it for your high-value assets?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further growth areas are precision-guided munitions, including the Hammer air-launched weapon and missile seekers, as well as drones and loitering munitions, where Safran produces the Lanner 50-kilogram drone and Warbler loitering munition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would add AI solutions as a stand-alone, because we both embed our AI solutions, edge AI and embarked data hub, but we also provide the Safran.AI open architectures for use to integrators to include as a building block in their suites.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWhat we know out of Ukraine is the importance of decentralizing the decisions,” said Franck Saudo, CEO of Safran Electronics & Defense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":119755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":46,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,29,46,11,12,36,94],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3427],"class_list":["post-70417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-dailies","category-europe","category-global","category-industry","category-newsletters","category-paris-air-show"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"YW2P64LTWVCK3PO2PTZGZYJB7Q","arc_canonical_url":"\/global\/europe\/2025\/06\/27\/interview-safran-defense-boss-on-the-changing-battlefield-and-ai\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n