French Navy tests Airbus Flexrotor drone

The French Navy has successfully completed a three-day demonstration of the Airbus Flexrotor uncrewed aerial system (UAS) operating from a patrol vessel off the northwest coast of France, according to the service.

The tests, held from June 3 to 6, were conducted as part of the Navy’s PERSEUS initiative aimed at fostering innovation within naval operations.

The Flexrotor UAS logged over 12 flight hours during both day and night operations, performing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions while launching and recovering from the moving deck of a small naval ship. According to Airbus, the demonstration highlighted the system’s ability to operate autonomously in constrained maritime environments with minimal logistical footprint.

In a statement, Airbus said the Flexrotor “effectively demonstrated its ability to take off from and land on a small, moving platform and perform long-duration missions.” The aircraft was used to provide real-time intelligence to the ship’s crew through onboard electro-optical sensors and advanced surveillance payloads.

The Flexrotor is a Group 2 tactical vertical take-off and landing UAS with a maximum take-off weight of 25 kilograms (55 pounds). It is designed for ISR missions and can remain airborne for an average of 12 to 14 hours in operational configurations. The system requires only a 3.7-by-3.7-meter space for launch and recovery, enabling deployment from vessels without flight decks.

The French Navy said the tests allowed the vessel’s crew to enhance situational awareness by accessing real-time intelligence collected by the UAS during flight.

“Over the course of three days, Flexrotor accumulated over 12 flight hours while conducting day and night surveillance missions,” the company said. The operations reportedly included intelligence gathering and target observation under various sea and weather conditions.

The system’s endurance and sensor payload capacity have positioned it for a variety of military and civil missions. These include search and rescue, border security, electronic warfare, signal intelligence, and maritime domain awareness. Airbus notes that the aircraft’s expeditionary design allows it to transition from stowed configuration to flight in under 30 minutes, supporting rapid deployment scenarios.

With a dash speed of up to 140 km/h and a maximum payload of 8 kg, the Flexrotor is engineered to support complex missions in both littoral and inland environments. Its design also permits operations from confined land sites or unprepared marine platforms—capabilities that the French Navy sought to evaluate during the at-sea trial.