France’s 7th Armored Brigade is testing whether smaller armored teams can move more discreetly and present less attractive targets on battlefields dominated by drones, according to brigade commander Gen. Maxime Do Tran.

A French heavy cavalry platoon normally consists of four Leclerc main battle tanks and four VBL light armored vehicles.

The brigade has experimented with dividing that structure into smaller units that can later be combined “like Lego bricks,” Do Tran told Defense News at brigade headquarters in eastern France.

Drone operations in Ukraine have made armored maneuver more difficult by creating a heavily monitored area stretching kilometers from the frontline.

Do Tran said operating in smaller groups could reduce the chance of being attacked because an enemy might hesitate to commit resources against only one or two tanks.

“The more insignificant you are, the less likely you are to be targeted,” Do Tran said during an innovation day on Sept. 9.

“So it’s really about being as dispersed as possible.”

Do Tran said the approach could force an adversary to weigh the cost of attacking a small formation. “Even if we’re spotted, even if there’s transparency on the battlefield, since we’re insignificant, ultimately it’s not worth the effort because we’re still talking about cost-effectiveness. It poses a dilemma to the enemy.”

Elements of the brigade, which is known in French as the 7e Brigade Blindée or 7e BB, have deployed to Romania. France leads a multinational battle group there.

Do Tran considers one tank and one VBL to be a basic heavy cavalry brick, while an infantry brick could contain seven or more soldiers.

The brigade determined that one tank paired with one VBL was too small to provide sufficient tactical coherence, so it has returned for now to two tanks and two light armored vehicles.

“We maybe have to get away a little from this squadron structure,” Do Tran said.

“If we want to perform a breakthrough maneuver, I don’t want to say, I need two or three squadrons. Maybe I need twenty bricks.”

The brick concept could require changes to military training, particularly as small unit commanders are given greater autonomy.

Do Tran questioned whether future formations must remain tied to the established four tank platoon.

“A tank platoon in our doctrine consists of four tanks. In terms of doctrinal developments, why couldn’t it be one tank surrounded by three motorcycles and with drones overhead? Why couldn’t it be ten tanks if we want to break through?”

The brigade’s heavy cavalry tested half platoon operations during France’s Orion 2026 exercise earlier this year.

The testing focused mainly on whether noncommissioned officers could operate under the concept, with the first challenge being their ability to understand the commander’s intent and act without the lieutenant.

“We haven’t yet reached the stage of full autonomy and differentiated missions being assigned to a half-platoon. But in terms of structure, we’re there.”

Peacetime restrictions during Orion 2026 kept movement largely confined to roads instead of allowing armored vehicles to maneuver across fields.

Do Tran said those limits prevented the brigade from fully practicing the dispersion and concentration of forces as intended.

The brigade successfully tested methods for reducing the physical footprint of its command posts and streamlining information flow. Those methods included graphical orders sent through a data link.

Do Tran has applied the same modular approach to command operations by dividing the command post into “five Lego bricks.”

Those elements can operate together or disperse completely, depending on the situation.

The commander also wants modularity from a future tank, which he described as “a more open platform.” Under that concept, the main gun could be exchanged for a counter drone system or drone launchers.

Do Tran said artillery and drones will hold most of the firepower, with drones now almost equivalent to “flying bombs.”

Direct fire remains relevant, but he said “direct fire from one cannon to another, that maybe is disappearing,” raising the possibility of using a loitering munition instead of a 120 mm or larger tank cannon.

Tanks will still be necessary to create tactical breakthroughs, according to Do Tran, even though movement in Ukraine has stalled for now.

He said the French Army must preserve its ability to maneuver and exploit a breakthrough, whether that opening is created on the ground, in the air or through other means.