What would happen when the mobility of the battlefield, autonomous decision-making, and next-generation energy combination are brought on the same platform? In the case of the French Army, it is finding a solution in the Hermione unmanned ground vehicle powered by hydrogen that is a modular machine at the heart of its Pendragon program in AI-controlled combat teams.
Pendragon is not about deploying a single vehicle but is all about reconsidering the manner in which small and scattered units can be quick and accurate in complex situations. By 2027, the Army will have its first AI-led combat formation, combining robotic systems that will remain self-sustaining over long durations without having to be linked to conventional fuel supply cables. One of the testbeds in this vision is Hermione, a joint Switzerland/France project, created by P.H.U. Lechmar in Poland, and H2X-Defense, which integrates autonomy, endurance, and adaptability in one wheeled platform.
Hermione is constructed as a base platform, not a fixed design and is unveiled at the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce in 2025. Its modular structure enables quick re-configurability during logistics flights, drone load, recon or armed surveillance. The base model has a load of 300 kilograms, with intended options to 2 tons all of which are based on the same mobility and energy core. It is 3.3 meters in length and 700 kilograms in weight with all wheel drive hub motors of 8 kW each which provide it with stable traction over rough terrain and a maximum speed of 39 km/h which is fast enough to keep up with infantry or move between distant holes.
The actual innovation is its energy system. Hermione matches TPED-certified hydrogen fuel cells with a 25 kwh battery pack which provides up to 20 hours of working range. Fueling is in about three minutes and hydrogen cylinders could be changed on the field to prevent downtime. This is not only being considered in terms of range, it is also being considered in terms of its acoustic and thermal signature which is extremely crucial in contested areas where, as far as stealth is concerned, it is as important as speed. During the larger Pendragon trials, the vehicle is demonstrated together with the G-15/050 hydrogen field generator, a portable power source that can power sensors, command posts or other unmanned systems without having to use diesel convoys.
The military planners are interested in hydrogen. With the distributed operations emerging as the new pattern, energy independence limits the vulnerable supply lines. Hydrogen fuel cells are silent, generate little heat and are capable of multiple outputs, such as vehicle propulsion and other applications, including powering surveillance devices, and reduce emissions. In the case of the French Army, this coincides with a trend of resilient, low-signature operations in such environments where the traditional resupply is impractical or hazardous.
The evolution of Hermione is based on previous efforts of H2X Ecosystems, including the Weasel UGV that was developed in 2022 within the Force W consortium. The same hybrid hydrogen-lithium battery system was used in that smaller demonstrator, with a 40-kilogram tank, which can be replaced in less than 30 seconds. The Weasel with its fast prototype and an energy swap system that fit in the field gave a prototype to the much more competent Hermione, showing that hydrogen could offer useful endurance in small unmanned systems.
Experiments have also combined Hermione with tethered aerial vehicles like Khronos DroneBox by Elistair, to allow continuous 60-meter-high aerial observation and control the UGV movements on the ground. Such a concept of manned-unmanned teaming is at the core of what Pendragon aims to achieve: through the connection of ground mobility, aerial surveillance and AI-powered decision support systems into a smooth network, it will be able to run at high tempo without forcing every action to be manually controlled.
Although Hermione is itself a demonstrator, its involvement in Pendragon is not focused on direct procurement but rather the development of requirements in terms of the first operational robotic unit of the Army. The French Army is evaluating how the future combat teams will be able to fight, move, and sustain themselves in the dispersed battlefields of the following decade by testing autonomy, integration, and energy resilience on a single platform. Provided that it works, the experience of Hermione might change the way machines assist soldiers, as well as the way whole groups are energized, linked and ordered around.
