Drones and autonomous systems are an integral part of naval collaborative combat. Naval Group firmly and clearly asserts its strategy and ambition in this field. The starting point was marked by the creation of the Drones, Autonomous Systems and Underwater Weapons Department (DSA) in 2023. Since then, the DSA teams have been committed to defining a technological roadmap and implementing agile development methods to rapidly propose a range of products, whilst increasing experimentation with its customers and partners.
Naval Group can rapidly offer customers concrete solutions thanks to this transverse and iterative approach combining listening attentively to customer needs, developing incremental technology and having the capacity to run short-loop tests on emerging concepts. The utility of drones and autonomous systems for new use cases has also been confirmed thanks to this approach.
Destined for missions that contribute to the control of our marine environment, Naval Group’s surface, airborne and underwater autonomous systems work in tandem with warships and aircraft carriers, fulfilling a wide range of missions, from intelligence to seabed control as well as controlling access to certain zones.
The means of our ambitions
Several key differentiators reflect Naval Group’s unique expertise in the field of drones and autonomous systems. Firstly, the ability to design and manufacture reliable, cybersecure, equippable and resilient systems suited to a complex maritime environment. Secondly, its expertise in technological challenges such as controlled decision-making autonomy (ADC) - the onboard brain of our autonomous systems - or even energy management.
Lastly, Naval Group is the benchmark player in the "navalisation" and integration of drones and autonomous systems with manned ships and with the naval force in the future.
These unique offers are complemented by an approach tailored to the drone market. Naval Group is rapidly gaining knowledge and experience alongside its naval customers thanks to its demonstrators combined with a test and learn approach. In 2023, several trial campaigns were carried out in the Mediterranean with the French naval forces to test use cases in real-life conditions. Lastly, Naval Group’s centre of excellence for drones, autonomous systems and underwater weapons at La-Londe-les-Maures is scheduled to be built by 2027.
This centre will feature state-of-the-art facilities for research and development, engineering, prototyping, assembly and integration of drones and underwater weapons, as well as a sea trials centre.
New names to structure our product offers
As part of the next step in implementing its strategy, Naval Group revealed the new names of its drones and autonomous systems in September.
The company offers solutions that meet customers’ needs for drones and autonomous naval systems, whether multimission, autonomous or remotely operated, all easily integrated into fleets. The Naval Group product portfolio is now structured around four product lines: Steeris®, Seaquest®, Seagent® and Sealken®. Based on an incremental approach, these can be further sub-divided into product ranges.
These premium, simple and robust products are scalable and can rapidly offer added value in operational terms.
SeaQuest® S, the new surface drone
SeaQuest® S is the first in series of a range of surface drones designed and built by the Naval Group subsidiary Sirenha, in partnership with the shipyard Chantier Naval Couach - CNC. This USV’s modular design is suited to the operational needs of users, whether civil or State (including those required to carry weapons).
In this regard, Seaquest® S delivers optimal mission performances, even under challenging sea states (4.5), can operate as a single unit or with several others and offers a native embarkation capacity onboard frigates and support ships equipped with a dock or lifting means. Thanks to its modular design, the Seaquest® S range can be adapted to different types of operational needs such as: EW, ASM, ISR, maritime surveillance, etc. The variable sizes of the platforms in this range have been created specifically for various concepts of use. The design of this mature and well-developed product has been possible thanks to the combined experience of both Sirenha and Chantier Naval Couach - CNC. This product will no doubt demonstrate its reliability and suitability for operational use within a naval force. This first of series was launched in July 2024.