Mini drones for the navy: France's DGA orders 15 more SMDM from Survey Copter

At the end of last year, the French defence procurement agency DGA ordered 15 additional mini aerial drone systems (SMDM) for the French Navy. The contractor is Survey Copter, a subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space. The 15 mini drone systems are worth almost 30 million euros; they add to 18 SMDM the company has already delivered. The system has been in service with the navy since 2022. Training and integrated logistics support are part of the contract now concluded.

The airborne mini drone system (SMDM), certified and qualified by the DGA, is a ship-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system. It can take off and land on ships without a helicopter deck. It is intended to strengthen the navy's surveillance, detection and identification capabilities from the air and is planned for offshore patrol vessels, overseas patrol vessels, surveillance frigates and other platforms. The new drones will be delivered from the end of 2024.

What the mini drones deliver on board

An SMDM comprises two Survey Copter Aliaca drones, each weighing around 16 kilograms. Each is powered by an electric motor. The drones have a range of three hours and can operate within a radius of 50 kilometres. A catapult launches them, and after the mission a net on board recovers them automatically. Images and data captured by the sensors in flight can be transmitted in real time, by day and night.

This allows the SMDM to identify ships even beyond radar range and to assess a threat in real time via video stream. The range of missions for these tactical drones is correspondingly broad: for example, identifying and photographing unknown vessels, discreetly repositioning ships of interest, or searching for shipwrecked persons.