France’s Naval Group Kicks Off Underwater Drone Qualification Trials 

Naval Group has begun sea qualification trials of a big underwater drone (XL-UUV) demonstrator.

The trials are a part of a future unmanned underwater fight automobile program whose design research Naval Group has been conducting as a part of a French authorities contract since Could.

Future Underwater Drone 

Profitable trials will pave the way in which for testing and creating varied applied sciences for the platform, together with Managed Determination-Making Autonomy, Naval Group defined.

The autonomy software program is “designed to be the onboard mind for drones, whereas providing sailors the power to oversee all unmanned methods in full security, and to plan and perform advanced missions, as a complement to manned ships.”

Potential Missions

Secretly launched in November 2020 and unveiled in October 2021, the demonstrator has been in growth since 2016, in accordance to Naval Information.

The ten-meter (33 toes) — scalable to 25-meter (82 toes) — platform displaces 10 tons. 

Potential missions embody mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, and offensive mine warfare operations, Naval Information wrote, citing the pinnacle of UxV & MCM Enterprise Line at Naval Group Cyril Levy.