Naval Group, Partners Establish Naval Electromagnetism Laboratory

Naval Group, CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), and Grenoble INP-UGA have inaugurated the Naval Electromagnetism Laboratory (NEL) to study the electromagnetic signatures generated by military ships.

The NEL aims to develop technologies that provide greater electromagnetic discretion for military ships. This collaboration combines expertise from the Grenoble Electrical Engineering Laboratory (CNRS/UGA) and the Grenoble Images Speech Signal and Control Laboratory (CNRS/UGA) with Naval Group's R&D teams.

Military ships generate local electromagnetic disturbances that can lead to detection. These disturbances, or electromagnetic signatures, originate from the ferromagnetism of the hull, fields radiated by on-board electronic equipment, and corrosion currents near the hull. Controlling these signatures is crucial for maintaining the discretion of military vessels in hostile environments.

The collaboration between Naval Group and Grenoble researchers has historical roots dating back approximately 80 years. Louis Néel initiated research on magnetic neutralization processes for French navy ships during World War II. This longstanding relationship was formalized in 2021 through a framework agreement establishing joint research projects. The collaboration leverages skills in low magnetic field metrology, low-frequency electromagnetic field modeling, and processing noisy magnetic signals for detection.