The French Armament General Directorate (DGA) has awarded a contract to Airbus Helicopters and Naval Group for the production of six VSR700 uncrewed aerial systems that will be operated from 2028 by the French Navy. 

It will be delivered in an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) configuration comprising a surveillance radar, an electro optical system and an AIS (Automatic Identification System) receiver. Naval Group will ensure its integration into the overall architecture of the ships and its interconnection with the combat system thanks to the Steeris Mission System.

It is a dual use uncrewed aerial system, based on the crewed Cabri G2 from Hélicoptères Guimbal. The naval military version was developed and tested in the frame of the French Navy and DGA SDAM (Système de drone aérien de la Marine) programme, in cooperation with Naval Group. The VSR700 and its mission system have been extensively tested over land and at sea. Often deployed in complement of a crewed helicopter, the system can be used to extend a vessel’s intelligence gathering capabilities and conduct long endurance surveillance missions. 

The VSR700 can accommodate a variety of long-range, high-performance sensors. Although it will be used in an ISR configuration by the French Navy, the system is a multirole UAS that can be used for a variety of missions including logistics and armed scout both in a maritime and a land environment. It can also be used for civil missions including firefighting and disaster relief. Airbus has also demonstrated its ability to team with crewed helicopters using the HTeaming solution.