France develops AI combat planning system as alternative to Maven

France is developing its own artificial intelligence-based military planning system as an alternative to the U.S.-made Maven platform developed by Palantir, according to Les Echos, which cited French Army Deputy Chief of Staff General Patrick Justel.

Justel said the American system does not have unanimous support even within the United States, adding that France is working on a competing solution that has already attracted interest from several European partners. He noted that the U.S. system is currently being used “in test mode.”

The French armed forces have been developing a system called Arcadia for several months. The platform is based on a new large language model named Berthier, in reference to Napoleon’s chief of staff, General Louis-Alexandre Berthier (1753–1815).

Arcadia is designed to integrate battlefield data and assist in decision-making by recommending weapons, troop organisation, and deployment options. It also connects communication channels across different command levels to improve coordination.

Unlike the more centralised architecture of the American system, French officials describe Arcadia as a decentralised platform intended to increase resilience in case parts of the network are disrupted. Justel said this approach offers “much greater fault tolerance” in the event of damage to communications infrastructure. He did not specify which countries might adopt the French system.

The newspaper reported that Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Germany, and Sweden have expressed interest in the project. British defence experts have also reportedly visited France to observe its development. Arcadia is said to have already been tested in Romania and during recent “Orion” military exercises.

Justel also pointed to concerns among European militaries about relying on a single private provider such as Palantir. He said multiple AI companies are involved in the French project, including Comand AI, Mistral, Safran AI, Thales, and Airbus.

Palantir rejected the criticism, stating that its software is designed to operate alongside systems developed by European partners, including Safran AI in France, Quantum Systems in Germany, and Hadean in the UK. The company added that its Maven platform has been operational since August 2025 and has completed all testing phases.

By Sabina Mammadli