France signs deal with Airbus for VSR700 drone program

Sébastien Lecornu, the French Minister for the Armed Forces, has signed a framework agreement with Airbus for the future acquisition of the Systèmes de Drone Aérien pour la Marine (SDAM: uncrewed aerial systems (UAS)) for the French Navy.

Each SDAM will feature an Airbus VSR700 uncrewed aerial system, operated with Naval Group’s Steeris Mission System. Naval Group is also responsible for integrating the SDAMs onto French Navy frigates.

For naval operations, Airbus drones, like the tactical VSR700, improve maritime awareness and threat detection. They are developed for diverse missions: intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR).

The serial VSR700s that will be delivered to the French Navy will be equipped for surveillance and intelligence missions, like the VSR700 prototypes that have been tested so far to develop the SDAM.

This configuration includes a radar, an electro-optical system and an automatic identification system (AIS) receiver.

The VSR700 has been developed to both take off and land automatically from a navy vessel in rough sea conditions, in a dense electromagnetic environment, while carrying three sensors and flying for more than eight hours.

“This framework agreement is a key milestone for the VSR700 programme,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.

“With our partners we have demonstrated the VSR700’s capabilities at sea with multiple demonstrations including one on board a French Navy frigate,” he added.

“This signature is a testimony to the teamwork achieved with our partners and to Naval Group’s expertise in integrating all types of drones on board surface ships to improve the operational capabilities of our client navies,” said Pierre Eric Pommellet, Chairman and CEO of Naval Group. 

The framework agreement lays the groundwork for the inclusion of further partner nations into the program. Through a government-to-government contract, they will be able to order the system in a configuration similar to the one selected by the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) for the French Navy.