France unveils 2040 goal for robot army

France's armed forces are said to be on track to create a robot army by 2040, with General Bruno Baratz, commander of future combat programs for the French Army, saying they "hope to have something fairly evolved within three years, with the first ground robot capabilities ready to equip our forces".

Despite initially setting the target back in 2021, Baratz suggested the French government are ahead of time and anticipates "deploying evolved systems with practical utility to our combat elements well ahead of 2040".

This goal is reportedly a part of a wider strategy by French military leaders to prepare for "high-intensity warfare".

Their efforts include modernising equipment, expanding army reserves, partnering with private contractors, and significantly investing in next-generation drone and robotics programmes.

During the Collaboration-Man-Machine (CoHoMa) challenge, General Tony Maffeis, the head of the army’s technical branch, explained that robots are "already very useful for protecting our unit".

“Now we need to prove they can be more effective when they come into contact with an adversary,” he added. “The robot must facilitate combat, not hold it back".

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It comes after tech mogul Elon Musk unveiled a Tesla robot back in October that "will do anything you want" – sending social media users into a frenzy with comparisons to Will Smith's 2004 film iRobot.

Musk described the Tesla bot 'Optimus' as the "biggest product ever of any kind."

"It can be a teacher, babysit your kids, it can walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries, just be your friend, serve drinks, whatever you can think of, it will do," he explained.

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