"We hope to have something fairly evolved within three years, with the first ground robot capabilities ready to equip our forces," said the army's commander of future combat, General Bruno Baratz.

At the recent competition event over several weeks -- the third such exercise since the armed forces set the 2040 target four years ago -- robots fitted with legs, wheels, and treads navigated obstacles and evaded traps at a base west of Paris to test their ability to hold ground against enemy forces.

From surveillance to mine clearing, robots are "already very useful for protecting our units", said General Tony Maffeis, the head of the army's technical branch, during the Collaboration-Man-Machine (CoHoMa) challenge.

"Now we need to prove they can be more effective when they come into contact with an adversary," he said.

"The robot must facilitate combat, not hold it back," Maffeis added, underscoring the challenges that still stand in the way of deploying robots into the field - especially when it comes to navigating rough terrain.

A competition like this "allows us to get out of the lab and tackle a realistic mission," said Baptiste Lepelletier, one of the participants.

-Robotics 'booming' in Ukraine -

The French army has explored the use of ground robots since 2021, but the war in Ukraine, where drones -- cheaper and more abundant -- are reshaping warfare, has enormously accelerated their evolution.

"Ground robotics is booming in Ukraine, but it's still complex and less developed, so it's important to explore what practical uses they could have," said army chief of staff General Pierre Schill.

One problem is that they cannot operate effectively without aerial drones to guide them.

French defence firm Thales brought one robot that features a launch pad for a drone that scouts for obstacles and maps a route.

The military said it has already incorporated some developments from two previous CoHoMa challenges but sees even bigger changes in the next few years.

But before they are used in combat, the first applications will be in logistics, with drone convoys or robotic mules carrying gear.

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THALES