PARIS — France detonated a naval explosive drone against a decommissioned cargo vessel at sea, the latest in a string of live-fire experiments as the French Navy seeks to prepare its ships and crews for high-intensity combat in what the government here calls an increasingly unstable international context.
The test explosion on April 26 will allow to France to perfect remotely-operated naval munition systems, including their guidance and pyrotechnics, the Armed Forces Ministry said in an emailed statement. The weaponized unmanned surface vehicle (USV) was deployed by a Navy offshore patrol vessel off the coast of Toulon, the home of France’s main naval base.
“The aim of the experiment was to confirm the French Navy’s ability to deploy a remotely-operated naval munition from the sea,” the ministry said. “Given the tougher international context, it now seems appropriate for the French Navy to carry out such experimental campaigns at sea.”
USVs packed with explosives have helped Ukraine keep Russia at bay in the Black Sea, with Ukrainian forces using the drones to sink several Russian ships. Militaries around the world have taken note, with Florida-based Maritime Tactical Systems last year unveiling a one-way mission naval drone for the U.S. Navy.
In the recent French trial, the target hull was depolluted and stripped of fuels and fluids, the ministry said. The impact zone on the target vessel was protected with metal plates and tires to function as a shield and limit the risk of sinking, though a video of the test blast published by the Navy on X suggested the USV may have missed the metal plates.
The naval-drone test follows a live torpedo firing in December, with a French Navy nuclear attack submarine firing a F21 heavy torpedo against the decommissioned aviso Premier-Maître L’Her, breaking the hull of the 80-meter vessel and sinking it.
In February, the Navy performed a shock test on the Lafayette-class frigate Courbet, detonating a naval mine near the vessel as it was under sail with its crew.
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
