At the end of last year, the French defense authority (DGA) requested the company Survey Copter – a subsidiary of Airbus Defense and Space – 15 additional mini drone systems (SMDM) for the French Navy. The 15 SMDMs, worth almost 30 million euros, are in addition to the 18 SMDMs that Survey Copter has already delivered. The system has been in service with the French Navy since 2022. The contract that has now been concluded also includes the associated training and integrated logistical support.
The system – certified and qualified by the DGA – for airborne mini drones (SMDM) is a sea-based UAV system that can take off and land on ships without a helicopter platform. The system is designed to strengthen the Navy’s aerial surveillance, detection and identification capabilities and will be used on ocean patrol boats, overseas patrol boats, surveillance frigates and other naval platforms. Deliveries of the new drones will begin at the end of 2024. https://militaeraktuell.at/es-wird-kein-stein-auf-dem-anderen-bleiben/ The SMDM consists of two Aliaca drones from Survey Copter, each weighing around 16 kilograms. The drones are powered by an electric motor, have a range of three hours and can operate within a radius of 50 kilometers. They are launched with a catapult and automatically collected in a net on board at the end of the mission. The images and data collected by the on-board sensors during the flight can be transmitted in real time, both day and night. These capabilities allow the SMDM to identify ships at distances beyond radar range and characterize the threat in real time through a video stream. The potential uses of these tactical drones are therefore great: identifying and taking photos of unknown ships, discreetly repositioning ships of interest or searching for shipwrecked persons.
