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France awards Airbus Helicopters and Naval Group contract for six VSR700 naval UAS

France's DGA has contracted Airbus Helicopters and Naval Group to produce six VSR700 uncrewed rotorcraft, a Guimbal Cabri G2–based maritime UAS. The systems — fitted with radar, EO/IR and AIS sensors — will be operated by the French Navy from 2028 to boost frigate situational awareness.

Discovered 2026-01-16T03:09:31.141035-08:00 | 2026-01-16T03:09:31.141035-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Six VSR700s contracted by the DGA on Jan 14, 2026 for French Navy service from 2028; the Cabri G2–derived UAS carries radar, EO/IR and AIS to expand frigate ISR and maritime domain awareness.
  • The award signals a shift from demonstrators to serial procurement for rotary‑wing naval UAS and reflects Airbus Helicopters’ broader tactical UAS push [source:c13c5698-be90-43f7-8bda-cd9c7a17f2d3]; it also follows recent operational maritime drone demonstrations such as the Schiebel S‑100 trials [source:b4c8bd35-a730-48c8-81b7-3980e3fd184e].

Reported By

Wings helicoptersmagazine.com heliopsmag.com defensemirror.com AviationPros naval-technology.com
Sources Tracked
46
First Seen
2026-01-16T03:09:31.141035-08:00
Latest Update
2026-01-22T07:28:49.053350-08:00
Coverage
Defense

Sources

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