French naval defense company Naval Group and Abu Dhabi's Technology Innovation Institute (TII) have signed an agreement to explore the joint development and commercialization of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs).
Signed on November 3, 2026, the agreement brings together TII’s expertise in autonomous systems and Naval Group’s expertise in naval autonomous systems design, development and integration to explore the development and commercialization of advanced autonomous underwater solutions.
Specifically, the collaboration will focus on exploring opportunities for the joint development and commercialization of uncrewed underwater vehicles. The ambition is to deliver advanced autonomous solutions for persistent maritime surveillance and underwater reconnaissance for operations in non-contested waters, in addition to the ambition of delivering combat UUVs for operations in contested waters.
A key area of cooperation will be the complementary capabilities of TII’s extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle (XLUUV) and Naval Group’s experience in unmanned combat underwater capabilities.
By combining their respective technological strengths, TII and Naval Group aim to explore solutions that address evolving maritime operational requirements, while supporting the development of autonomous underwater capabilities in the United Arab Emirates.
“Building on the close and longstanding relationship between Naval Group and the UAE, this partnership with TII reflects our shared ambition to foster innovation and develop cutting-edge autonomous underwater capabilities. These capabilities will be essential in addressing the evolving maritime security challenges for the country,” Aurore Neuschwander, Executive Vice President, Drones, Autonomous & Underwater weapons systems at Naval Group, said.
“Autonomous underwater technologies are becoming central to the future of maritime operations. At TII, we have built a strong research base in underwater autonomy and systems that can operate reliably in complex environments. Our collaboration with Naval Group brings together complementary strengths in research and naval engineering, creating opportunities to accelerate technology from laboratory capability to deployed system,” Najwa Aaraj, Chief Executive Officer at TII, commented.
The agreement provides the framework for the two organizations to translate complementary expertise into capability that supports the UAE’s growing role in advanced maritime technology and strengthen cooperation with France’s naval industrial base, it was concluded.