‘Open the hives’ — Why France is turning tank gunners into FPV pilots

MAILLY-LE-CAMP, France — Corporal Igor started a new job this year, swapping the sights of a 105 mm gun on the French Army’s AMX 10 RC reconnaissance vehicle for first-person view goggles and a handheld controller. The 21-year-old is now a strike pilot in France’s first dedicated drone-combat squadron, crouching in nettles and tall grass as he guided an FPV drone down a forest path at the Mailly-le-Camp training area east of Paris during a June exercise of the 1st Marine Infantry Regiment, or 1er RIMa. “We’re switching specialties, we’re keeping up with the times,” said the corporal, who last…