Since the beginning of the decade, Naval Group has accustomed us to discovering, in October of each year, new major advances in terms of naval innovations. This year will be no exception to the rule, with a new range of services and equipment, entirely focused on the implementation of unmanned vessels by military navies, which will be presented at the Euronaval 2024 exhibition.
Composed of four product families, ranging from the large autonomous vessel to the control module itself, it covers all the needs to operate these new systems efficiently, in many use cases, making Naval Group a European pioneer in this very promising field.
In this section:
The race for unmanned ships is on for major navies
Of the four major areas of application of drone technology (aerial, land, space and naval), naval is the one that appeared the latest. It was necessary, in fact, to reach a DARPA program in 2012, the ACTUV program, which would materialize with the construction of the SeaHunter, for the subject to really take off, and begin to interest the major world navies which, until then, were more than reserved about its application, beyond small autonomous underwater reconnaissance systems, often for single use.
It is true that many unknowns and questions applied to this specific area, particularly with regard to the treatment of damage and misfortunes at sea, which nevertheless focuses a significant part of the action at sea of a ship's crew, military or civilian.
However, over the course of the tests, the SeaHunter, then the Sea Hawk, demonstrated real capabilities, including during major US Navy exercises. In addition, smaller ships, specialized in the defense of coastal infrastructures, began to be developed by certain countries that had acquired significant know-how in the field of aerial drones, such as Turkey and China.
However, it was growing tensions between the United States and China, particularly over Taiwan, that propelled this new technology to the forefront of the US Navy's priorities.
Noting the very rapid progression of the Chinese Navy's high seas fleet, relying on industrial resources considerably greater than those available in the United States, and faced with the HR difficulties that all Western armies are facing, the US Navy developed, from 2020, a plan to develop a vast fleet of autonomous ships, more than 150, to support its own frigates and destroyers, and thus compete on an equal footing with the PLA.
Shortly after, the successes recorded by Ukrainian surface drones against the powerful Russian Black Sea Fleet finally convinced the general staff of the potential of this approach.
Naval Group presents a complete range for implementing unmanned ships and submarines
In addition to the United States, China and Turkey, already mentioned, several countries have also committed to developing capabilities in this area. This is particularly the case for Great Britain, South Korea and Japan.
Although discreetly mentioning trials conducted with other French partners, Naval Group had remained discreet on this subject until 2021. The surprise was therefore total when, on the occasion of this year's Innovation Days, an internal event designed to promote innovation and communicate on the progress made, the French shipbuilder presented a 10-metre long, 10-ton autonomous submarine demonstrator.
Designed in great secrecy and with its own funds, this was far from being just a vague conceptual research applied to a model. Indeed, the ship began, just a few days later, a first test campaign, followed by several others thereafter.
Naval Group's initiative did not go unnoticed at the Hôtel de Brienne, with the Ministry of the Armed Forces quickly releasing, through the DGA, an initial envelope to participate in the tests. Since then, the development of an operational autonomous submarine demonstrator, based on Naval Group's initial concept, has been included in the 2024-2030 Military Programming Act, with an envelope of €5 billion, in the field of drones and autonomous systems.
Far from being satisfied with this success, the French industrialist has just unveiled, ahead of the Euronaval show, a whole range of systems, dedicated to the implementation of these new autonomous ships and submarines, intended for military navies. This consists of four categories of systems.
Seaquest S/M/L: unmanned surface vessels from 6 to over 60 meters long
The most iconic is the family of unmanned surface vessels, or USVs, called Seaquest. This is divided into three classes of vessels of different sizes and functions.
The Seaquest S (Small), with a length of 6 to 12 m, has a format suitable for being transported and implemented from large military vessels, such as frigates, destroyers, assault ships or support ships. They can also be useful for carrying out specific surveillance and protection missions in restricted spaces, such as ports.
The Seaquest M (Medium), will have a length ranging from 15 to 50 meters. This format allows the USV to receive certain heavy and bulky equipment, such as missiles, naval artillery, sonar or radar. They will most certainly be dedicated to coastal protection missions, not having the autonomy and seaworthiness to effectively accompany a high-seas fleet.
This mission will be entrusted to the Seaquest L (Large). With a length of more than 50 meters, the size of a corvette, the autonomous ship will be able to simultaneously carry weapons and detection systems, and will be able to implement them, including in rough seas. It will therefore be perfectly suited to accompany and escort oceanic naval forces, to increase their efficiency and firepower.
Seagent M/XL for the autonomy of subsea systems
Surprisingly, Naval Group has not chosen to break down its offer of autonomous submarines, on the same model as that of Seaquest, perhaps because of the commitments already linking the manufacturer to the DGA, in this area.
Thus, the Seagent range consists not of two models of autonomous submarines of increasing size, but of two autonomous systems, intended to implement these naval units. The Seagent M allows to control and command autonomous underwater systems of less than 6 meters. We are thinking here of the different models of reconnaissance USV in the form of autonomous torpedoes, or underwater gliders, which will arrive massively in the naval forces in the near future.
The Seagent XL is intended for large submarines, which can replace conventional submarines in their missions, detection and weaponry, as is the case with the DDO demonstrator currently being designed for the DGA.
Sealken USA Dock to Launch and Recover Drones and Autonomous Systems at Sea
The Sealken family, for its part, meets very concrete needs of navies, for the implementation of their autonomous systems, whether aerial, underwater or surface. More specifically, Sealken systems are designed to allow the launching into the water, into the air, as well as the recovery from the sea, of these different autonomous systems.
The family is divided into 3 specialties, depending on whether they are aerial drones (Sealken A-Dock), autonomous surface vessels (Sealken S-Dock) and underwater drones (Sealken U-Dock).
Although not very spectacular in appearance, the Sealken range demonstrates Naval Group's desire to provide a global solution to military navies for all the issues related to the use of autonomous systems, particularly at sea and in operational conditions.
Steeris Mission System and Command: the modular heart for controlling drones and autonomous ships
The last component of the Naval Group range concerns the control and communication of these autonomous systems, on board military ships, or on land. Named Steeris, this offer consists of a mission system for piloting and transmitting instructions to drones, and a command module (Steeris Command), designed to concentrate in a restricted space (a 20-foot container, it seems), all the means of communication and control stations, allowing these drones to be controlled, including in swarms, with a reduced team.
As we can see, Naval Group's offer, which will be detailed at the Euronaval show, goes well beyond the simple presentation of a new USV, or a device for implementing drones and autonomous ships. It is, in fact, a complete range of products and services, carrying the first elements of standardization in this field, to centralize the implementation of a vast offer of autonomous naval systems.
A promising alternative to the constraints that apply to military vessels and their crews
The new range from Naval Group, particularly expanded and comprehensive, therefore proves to be very promising, in promoting the arrival of autonomous systems in military navies, but also in responding to many of the constraints to which they have been exposed in recent years.
Thus, small units, such as the Seaquest S, and the Steeris control system, jointly offer interesting alternatives for quickly and effectively reinforcing the protection of naval infrastructures, particularly against attempts at enemy intelligence gathering, without having to mobilize a large number of personnel.
Combined with the Seaquest M and Seagent S/XL, which can operate upstream of the infrastructures themselves, these systems make it possible to create a permanent coastal defensive curtain which, otherwise, would have mobilized a large number of resources and operators.
As tensions increase in several theatres of operation, this range of coastal protection, which is also transportable and projectable, would make it possible to significantly strengthen the security of naval bases, including against the threat of surface attack drones, such as those used in Ukraine.
For high seas and power projection fleets, the system proposed by Naval Group makes it possible to add USVs and UUVs to the capabilities deployable by large surface units, with a limited footprint, since it is embedded in a simple standard mission module.
Above all, with the Seaquest L and Seagent XL, these fleets can significantly increase their defensive capabilities, by having a significant increase in available ammunition, as well as sensors.
This not only increases the fleet's firepower, especially to deal with saturation attacks, but also extends the detection perimeter, and even implements certain capabilities that improve sensor efficiency, such as multistatism.
The fact remains that the greatest interest in Naval Group's offer lies in its obvious objective of limiting its weight in terms of human resources needed to implement the systems. However, all Western armies today face significant difficulties in the area of human resources, which have become, over the years, the most constraining factor concerning the evolution of their format.
A technology that is still young and must face many unknowns
However, there are still many unknowns to be resolved, for Naval Group, as for all manufacturers involved in the robotic revolution of autonomous systems, to definitively convince the armies, in particular the navies.
Thus, if the demonstrations of the efficiency and reliability of the US Navy's Sea Hunter and Sea Hawk systems have calmed opposition in the military navies, it remains to be seen whether they are truly reliable at sea, over long periods of time, and in particular how these autonomous systems can be maintained and repaired, during a mission, by the technical teams of the destroyers and frigates they accompany.
The weight of maintenance must also be analyzed as a whole. Thus, a study by the US Navy had shown the risks of congestion of naval maintenance infrastructures, by these autonomous systems, while maintenance at sea will be very limited, which will require a longer retention of maintenance resources in home ports, between missions.
The operational reliability of these systems will also have to be demonstrated, particularly in combat situations, when ships must be non-emissive and electronic warfare is raging.
More generally, the costs of building and owning these systems are still very vague, so it is difficult to assess their real sustainability for navies whose resources are already under heavy strain.
Finally, there remains the risk of a lowering of the engagement threshold, which autonomous systems inherently carry with them. We recall, for example, the American RQ-4 Global Hawk drone, shot down by an Iranian air defense missile in June 2019, which led President Trump to order massive strikes on Iran in retaliation.
Fortunately, under pressure from his close advisers, the American president canceled the strike order at the last moment. However, it is very likely that Tehran had not anticipated such a potential response from the United States, for the destruction of an unmanned system.
More globally, Studies have shown that the increasing use of unmanned systems has significantly lowered the thresholds for force engagement, both his own and those of the adversary, with a risk, also increasing, of escalations to follow.
Naval Group communicates little, but is progressing rapidly in many areas
Beyond these purely technical and operational aspects surrounding Naval Group's new autonomous systems offering, the French manufacturer has once again demonstrated its great dynamism in terms of innovation, research and development, as well as ambitions and strategies.
Thus, after presenting the DDO underwater drone in October 2021, Naval Group presented, in October 2023, The Multipurpose Modular Launcher, again on the occasion of the Innovation Days, a close-range defense system allowing the implementation of 4 modules each comprising 4 Mistral-3 very short-range missiles, or two MMP missiles, 10 70 mm laser-guided rockets, or two anti-submarine depth charges.
At the same time, Naval Group announced the transition of its range of conventional submarines, Scorpene and Barracuda, to lithium-ion batteries, becoming the first in Europe, and the second worldwide, to offer this type of technology.
The French manufacturer therefore presents, on an annual basis (2022 having been marked by the Euronaval exhibition and the presentation of the PANG), real innovations, likely to significantly change the conduct of military naval operations.
This dynamism is found in the expansion of the group's industrial resources and infrastructure. The group recently presented the architecture chosen for its new site, which will be built in La Londes, between Toulon and Hyères, and which will be entirely dedicated to the research and production of autonomous systems and naval drones.
This dynamism, which is reminiscent of that of DCNS in the 90s, notably with the Furtive Light Frigates, is all the more notable given that Naval Group remains an industrial group with a strong public dimension, which has managed to free itself from arsenal-type operations, to fully engage, and with obvious success, in the global market.
Conclusion
Once again, Naval Group will have graced us with a spectacular announcement, this October 2024, with the presentation of its complete range dedicated to autonomous naval systems.
Not only is the French manufacturer positioned in all the niches identified in this market, from port surface drones to large autonomous offshore support vessels, but it also offers a complete range of services and products to implement these systems in the most efficient way possible.
There is, of course, still a long way to go, and this will begin with the construction of demonstrators to validate the operational potential of these systems, as well as Naval Group's technological mastery in this area.
However, the momentum is well underway, placing the French ahead of its European competitors, and more broadly, in a global leading trio, concerning autonomous naval system technologies, alongside the United States and China.
We can only hope, as was the case for the underwater drone demonstrator in 2021, that the DGA will quickly embark on this adventure (if it has not already done so...), so as to associate an ambitious timetable with these initiatives which are just as ambitious.
Article from September 30 in full version until November 9, 2024
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The light drones presented here could be useful, I think, to the coastal fleets of the reserve currently being created.
Not really. Coastal flotillas are primarily defensive units. Attack drones are purely offensive. Their GPS guidance only allows them to strike predefined and fixed targets. There is therefore no use case on board coastal vessels intended to operate in territorial waters. Lurking munitions, on the other hand, are much more interesting, because they are directly controlled with video feedback, which allows them to target moving targets. Moreover, it seems to me that discussions are underway on this subject concerning the two lurking munitions programs currently under development.