Thales delivers first autonomous drone system against sea mines to customer
Thales has delivered the first autonomous drone system for naval mine countermeasures to the French Navy as part of the Franco-British MMCM (Maritime Mine Counter Measures) program. This delivery marks a world first, with the system being the first autonomous surface drone to enter operational service within a navy. Conducted under the aegis of the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) and led by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), this project represents a significant technological development in mine warfare, a strategic domain for maritime security and freedom of navigation.
The system delivered includes a surface drone (USV – Unmanned Surface Vehicle) equipped with the TSAM towed sonar, designed for the detection and classification of naval mines with high precision. It can be operated from land, a mothership, or an opportunistic vessel, enabling mine countermeasure missions while minimizing risks to personnel. Thales, as the supplier and integrator of the MMCM systems, has developed several advanced technologies to optimize these operations, including the SAMDIS multi-view sonar, the portable e-POC operations center, the M-Cube mission management system, and the Mi-Map data analysis application. The latter, leveraging artificial intelligence, significantly enhances performance by reducing false alarm rates, a key challenge in underwater threat identification.
Measuring 12 meters in length, this compact surface drone is designed for rapid deployment and is air transportable. It can be loaded onto an A400M aircraft and be operational in less than 48 hours. It is also planned to be integrated into future mine warfare vessels (BGDM), providing enhanced operational flexibility.
As part of the SLAMF (Système de Lutte Anti-mines Marines Futur) program, France will receive six USVs in 2025, organized into three system-of-systems, each comprising two drones. These deliveries will complement the prototype system already delivered and updated. The British Royal Navy will also receive four system-of-systems, each consisting of a single USV, within the same timeframe.
This program reflects the shared ambition of France and the United Kingdom to adopt innovative and disruptive operational concepts to strengthen their naval mine countermeasure capabilities.