Thales Delivers a New Naval Drone Equipped With the Latest Generation Sonar to the French Navy

As part of the Franco-British Maritime Mine Counter Measures MMCM programme, Thales has announced the delivery to the French Navy of a surface naval drone equipped with a TSAM towed sonar and on board the SAMDIS multi-view sonar. This new step marks the company’s commitment and industrial dynamic in this strategic programme, managed by OCCAR with the support of the French (Direction générale de l’armement (DGA) and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). 

This delivery follows the first production system delivered in December 2024, consisting of the surface drone (USV) equipped with the towed sonar TSAM, data analysis software using Artificial Intelligence (AI), MiMap and the M-Cube mission management system.

This unmanned system was designed to improve the operational performance of navies that are leaders in mine countermeasures, by minimising personnel exposure to hazardous environments. It provides a sea mine detection rate over 99% and thus guarantees naval forces operational superiority in the face of increasingly complex threats.

In close collaboration with Couach shipyard, Thales is upgrading the initial prototypes of surface drones, which have been tested by the French Navy and Royal Navy since 2021, thus demonstrating its expertise as a systems integrator. End user feedback, and more than 3,000 hours of sea trials, have been taken into account to adapt the systems to fully meet operational needs.

The autonomous surface drone system delivered represents a first-of-its-kind capability for maritime defence operations, integrating a range of advanced technical and software innovations developed by Thales:

• very high-performance sensors, notably the world’s unique "multi-view" SAMDIS antenna, which optimises operational performance;
• a surface drone operated without a crew by the French Navy;
• a system of drones that is resilient to cyber threats, approved for sensitive operations;
• a robust and cyber resilient communication system in the face of threats;
• unique mission planning and sonar data analysis software designed to optimise the work and workload of operators.

"Thales is supporting the French Navy to meet the challenges of the transition towards a new operational concept for mine countermeasures. The autonomous system developed by Thales significantly improves mission efficiency while limiting the exposure of crews to mine-related risks. The MMCM programme increases the operational superiority of naval forces, with its M-Cube software at core, designed for fast integration of heterogeneous drones, its high-performance sensors and innovative AI algorithms, reducing operators’ cognitive load. This programme, a world first, is the result of unwavering commitment and a source of pride for our teams,” said Sébastien Guérémy, Vice-President in charge of the Underwater Systems activities at Thales.