France has cancelled the Safran Patroller tactical drone and the multinational Eurodrone MALE system under an updated military programming law presented to the Council of Ministers on April 8, 2026.
The revised law adds 36 billion euros to the existing 413-billion-euro defense blueprint for 2024-2030, driven by lessons from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. It shifts focus toward lower-cost sovereign theater drones, deeming the Eurodrone less suited for high-intensity conflict.
France had been negotiating its exit from the Eurodrone with partners Germany, Italy, and Spain, who plan to proceed. A French withdrawal would raise costs for them by more than 700 million euros. The Air and Space Force chief of staff called it yesterday’s drone, requiring enormous infrastructure. Developed by Airbus Defence and Space with Dassault Aviation and Leonardo, the Eurodrone completed its Critical Design Review in October 2025, with first flight set for January 2027 and deliveries in 2030.
The Patroller program, contracted to Safran Electronics & Defense in 2016 for 330 million euros, faced repeated delays. Originally due in 2018, the first unit reached the French Army’s 61st Artillery Regiment in May 2024 after a 2019 crash linked to a faulty US flight control computer. The 2026 budget cut orders from 28 to 14 aircraft amid technical issues and doubts over its speed, size, and vulnerability in modern electronic warfare environments. The Army’s Combat Future Command had eyed alternatives.
France now supports five domestic MALE programs, including Turgis & Gaillard’s Aarok, which flew in September 2025 with a 5.5-tonne takeoff weight and 1.5-tonne payload; Aura Aéro’s Enbata, targeting Reaper-like performance at lower cost and backed by a 50 million euro funding round on April 8, 2026; and Daher’s EyePulse, which flew in December 2025. A competition for light tactical drones will deliver 40 systems in 2026. The law aims for a 76.3 billion euro defense budget by 2030, or 2.5% of GDP.