French Navy plans to combine amphibious helicopter carrier with surface drones
Despite the successes of Ukrainian drones in the Black Sea, they did not play a decisive role in the destruction of Russian ships. Military analysts assess their role as auxiliary, while most of the strikes on the Russian fleet were carried out by cruise missiles.
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On 20 February, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Slars, Deputy Chief of Staff of the French Navy for Air and Sea Operations, said that Ukrainian naval drones played a role, but that the Russian fleet suffered the main losses due to cruise missile strikes at the docks.
At the same time, surface drones can be effective in specialised tasks, such as anti-submarine warfare. The Royal Netherlands Navy is currently considering this area. In 2023, they commissioned the Dutch Naval Design consortium to conduct research on the development of a surface drone to accompany future frigates of the ASWF (Anti-Submarine Warfare Fregate) programme. According to the plan, this drone will be equipped with sonar and will be able to operate autonomously for 96 hours.
France is also exploring the possibilities of surface drones. Recently, the French Navy frigates tested the Seaquest S drone developed by Sirenha (a subsidiary of Naval Group) in cooperation with Couach-CNC. The tests confirmed its ability to perform reconnaissance, tracking, port security and logistics tasks.
Another area of research in France is the use of the DriX H8 drone developed by Exail. It is being tested as part of the OER pilot operation funded by the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and coordinated by the Centre d'Expertise des Programmes Navales (CEPN) based in Toulon.
DriX. Illustration: French Ministry of Defence
The DriX H8 is a 1.4-tonne, 7.7-metre-long surface drone equipped with a 38 hp diesel engine, sonar and other sensors. It can move at a speed of 7 knots and operate autonomously for up to a week. The French Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service has already ordered one such system.
One of the key tasks of the OER is to study the risks associated with landing this drone on board amphibious helicopter carriers. The DriX H8 will also be involved in the Dragoon Fury 25 exercise, where it will be used to collect acoustic data and create tactical circumstances.
Source: Opex360
