French DGA Orders Six VSR700 UAVs from Airbus Helicopters & Naval Group

 

IThe ISR-configured UAVs will be delivered to the French Navy from 2028.

The VSR700 will be delivered in an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) configuration, equipped with a surveillance radar, electro-optical sensors, and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver.

Naval Group will be responsible for integrating the UAV into shipboard systems and combat architecture using the Steeris® Mission System.

According to Airbus, the VSR700 is a dual-use uncrewed aerial system derived from the crewed Cabri G2 helicopter developed by Hélicoptères Guimbal. The naval military variant was developed and tested under the French Navy and DGA-led SDAM (Système de drone aérien de la Marine) programme in cooperation with Naval Group. The platform and its mission system have undergone extensive testing on land and at sea.

Typically deployed alongside crewed helicopters, the VSR700 extends a vessel’s surveillance reach and supports long-endurance missions. While initially used by the French Navy for ISR, the multirole UAV can also conduct logistics, armed reconnaissance, and civil missions such as firefighting and disaster relief, and operate in coordination with crewed helicopters through Airbus’ HTeaming solution.

“We are honored that the French Ministry for the Armed Forces has decided to launch the next phase of the VSR700 programme with serial production for France and future export customers within the framework of the agreement signed at the Paris Air Show in 2025,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.