France Launches Bold Alliance for Airbus and Naval Group’s SDAM Venture
On 17 June 2025, Sébastien Lecornu, the French Minister of Armed Forces, has endorsed a pivotal agreement with Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, and Marie-Laure Bourgeois, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Naval Group, concerning the acquisition of unmanned aerial vehicles for the Navy (Système de Drone Aérien pour la Marine – SDAM) and their integration aboard the frigates of the French Navy.
Each SDAM will be fitted with an Airbus VSR700 unmanned aerial system (UAS), operating in conjunction with Naval Group’s Steeris® Mission System. Furthermore, Naval Group will oversee the deployment of the SDAMs onto the French Navy’s frigates. The VSR700 is a versatile system designed to function in diverse settings, as exemplified by the armed reconnaissance variant presented at the Paris Air Show. Derived from 15 years of research & development efforts, Steeris® MS offers a tested solution customized for naval combat system integration.
“This framework agreement marks a crucial milestone for the VSR700 program,” commented Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “Together with our allies, we have demonstrated the VSR700’s capabilities at sea through a series of displays, including one aboard a French Navy frigate,” he added.
“This signing exemplifies the partnership achieved with our collaborators and underscores Naval Group’s expertise in integrating all types of drones on surface vessels to bolster the operational efficiency of our partner navies,” asserted Pierre Eric Pommellet, Chairman and CEO of Naval Group.
The framework agreement lays the groundwork for the inclusion of additional partner nations in the initiative. Multiple countries globally have been officially invited by the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) to participate in the program. Through a government-to-government agreement, they can acquire the VSR700 in a configuration similar to that selected by the DGA for the French Navy.
The serial VSR700 designated for the French Navy will be tailored for Surveillance and Intelligence missions, similar to the VSR700 prototypes evaluated aboard the FREMM class frigate La Provence in October 2023. This setup includes a radar, an electro-optical system, and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver. The VSR700 has been designed to autonomously launch and land from a naval vessel amidst rough sea conditions and within a congested electromagnetic environment while accommodating three sensors and remaining airborne for over eight hours.
