The war in the Middle East is also being fought on the financial front. Today, France is combating Shahed drones with MICA missiles. The former cost between €60,000 and €70,000, while the latter cost between €600,000 and €700,000. The calculations are not favorable for France, which is defending its allies in the United Arab Emirates and its bases against Iran’s offensives. However, a young startup is shaking things up: Egide, founded in September 2025 by two former MBDA employees, Simon Calonne and Florian Audigier, as reported by La Tribune.
They are behind the creation of the Arges, an interceptor of drones with electric impulses, equipped with ground and onboard AI. The name of the device comes from one of the cyclopes who forged Zeus’ lightning. A testing phase is scheduled to demonstrate its effectiveness in almost real conditions by the end of the year. “We will be able to test the complete system’s performance,” assures Simon Calonne to our colleagues. The two thirty-somethings are now hoping for a contract with the government to industrialize their product on a large scale. They are also considering a European contract if France does not commit.
Des atouts non négligeables
If Arges is a technical success, it should be essential for French defense. First of all, the experience of the two Egide founders at MBDA gives them technical credibility. In addition, the Arges is expected to cost between €50,000 and €60,000 as of 2027, but its cost should decrease with larger production runs. This would mean that shooting down a Shahed drone would cost slightly less than sending one, which is far from the case at the moment.
