The French defense contractor Thales has introduced HexaForce , an AI platform for military command and control. The system is designed to process large amounts of data and provide commanders with faster insight into the situation on the battlefield. European technological independence plays a key role in this.
HexaForce is a so-called command-and-control (C2) system that aggregates data from various military domains. It covers land, air, sea, cyber, space, the electromagnetic spectrum, and information operations. The software can connect the systems of individual armed forces and coalition partners.
AI is used to automatically analyze, correlate, and prioritize data streams from military, public, and civilian sources. Among other things, Thales aims to accelerate planning and decision-making and improve the allocation of military resources.
European response to Palantir
The launch takes on added significance because NATO previously opted for the Maven Smart System from the American company Palantir for use at its headquarters. Meanwhile, European countries are seeking alternatives that allow them to maintain greater control over their military data and technology.
According to Reuters, there are concerns in France and other European countries regarding the storage and use of data by U.S. technology companies. There is also the risk that Washington could restrict access to U.S. technology. Thales therefore emphasizes that HexaForce is a sovereign solution that is not subject to U.S. ITAR export regulations.
CEO Patrice Caine did not want to speak of a direct battle with Palantir during the presentation. Regarding the market for such systems, he did say that “the battle has only just begun.” According to Caine, Palantir’s solution covers only a small portion of the applications NATO needs.
Germany is also looking at alternatives. The country is evaluating thirty AI tools for military use and has not selected Palantir’s Maven for the time being. In France, in addition to Thales, Mistral AI and Comand AI are also working on technology for military command and control.
From 100 to 1,000 targets
HexaForce uses AI technology from cortAIx, Thales’ AI program involving approximately 800 engineers and data scientists. Among other things, the platform utilizes large language models and agentic AI.
Thales is conducting field tests aimed at eventually increasing processing capacity from 100 to 1,000 targets per day. The technology builds on Artemis.IA, a data platform that has been in use by the French Ministry of Defense since 2023.
The system is designed for large-scale military operations and, according to Thales, can support the command and control of more than 100,000 military personnel. The distributed architecture is designed to continue functioning even when communication links are severely disrupted.
HexaForce is based on open standards and can integrate with existing systems from other vendors. Its interoperability was tested, among other occasions, during the NATO exercise CWIX 2026. This is relevant because, in practice, European systems must also be able to work together with American technology, including that of Palantir.
Caine calls for international rules on AI
During the presentation, Caine also placed military AI within the broader discussion on the development of the technology. According to him, technical security measures can help keep AI under control, but they are not sufficient.
He therefore advocates for an international regulatory framework established by governments to complement the technical safeguards. At the same time, there are calls in Europe to accelerate the development of AI so that the continent becomes less dependent on U.S. providers.
These developments converge at HexaForce: AI is playing a greater role in processing information and supporting military decision-making, while European countries are trying to gain more control over the technology and data on which such systems run.