France Launches Procurement for New Embarked Long-Endurance USV

France’s procurement agency launched a tender for shipborne, long-endurance uncrewed surface vessels to support naval intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Requirements include at least 100 nautical miles of range, five to ten days of endurance and continuous operation in sea state four from Mistral-class amphibious ships and Loire-class support vessels. The design must accept modular payloads and command links for surface and subsurface sensing. France could acquire up to several dozen systems, but the competition is at an early stage and no supplier, contract value or delivery schedule has been selected.