
On 27 September 2024, the French Armaments Procurement Agency (Direction générale de l’armement, DGA) and the General Secretariat for Investment (Secrétariat général pour l’investissement, SGPI) jointly commissioned the development of two underwater robotics systems as part of the France 2030 investment plan and the Seabed Management Programme (Maîtrise des fonds Marins, MFM) of the French Ministry of Defence (Ministère des Armées).
These two initiatives aim to address the growing need for activities in deep-sea environments and focus on two main objectives: acquiring extensive knowledge about the underwater domain and fostering a network of industries to ensure strategic autonomy for France in this sector.
The new systems, an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), will operate at depths of up to 6,000 meters and will carry various payloads, including sensors and measurement instruments. These capabilities are part of the build-up of a comprehensive tool set for deep water operations. They will help protect underwater infrastructure, ensure operational freedom for French forces, and safeguard national interests.
The systems are designed for both civilian and military use, aligning with a ministerial strategy published in February 2022 that aims to extend maritime control to the seabed. The strategic document reflects France's commitment to enhancing its technological leadership in deep-sea operations, vital for economic, scientific, and military activities. With only a small percentage of the deep sea explored, these advancements are crucial for maintaining France's strategic interests in its extensive exclusive economic zone (EEA). As a reminder, thanks to its overseas departments, France's EEZ is the second largest in the world at 10,186,624 square kilometres, behind that of the United States (11,351,000 square kilometres) and ahead of Australia (9,025,053).
The French strategy outlines three key functions: understanding marine environments, monitoring infrastructure and ocean space, and conducting operations from or towards the seabed.
The DGA has selected Exail to develop an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) named A6K-M, which is based on collaborative work with Ifremer (the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) on the ULYX drone. Exail's AUV will have to guanrantee long endurance and advanced sonar capabilities, all this at depths of up to 6,000 meters, thus allowing it to explore some of the ocean's most challenging environments. In addition to military use, this AUV is also intended for scientific research missions and will be deployed from French and international oceanographic research vessels. It is designed to work alongside other deep-water intervention vehicles such as Ifremer's VICTOR 6000 ROV and the NAUTILE manned submersible. Beyond military and scientific applications, the A6K AUV has significant potential in commercial sectors. It might be utilized for deep-sea mining surveys, inspections of oil and gas pipelines, rescue missions, and mineral resource exploration.
Meanwhile, Travocean has been chosen to develop a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) known as ROV-DEEPSEA, which will feature high-performance optics and a wide range of tools. Like the A6K-M, this ROV is designed to operate at depths of up to 6,000 meters and will feature high-performance optics along with a wide array of tools for various underwater tasks. The ROV-DEEPSEA represents an adaptation of Travocean's existing compact ROVs, modified specifically for deep-sea applications. The development contract includes provisions for the integration and qualification of the system aboard the French Navy's chartered support and assistance vessel, known as "bâtiment de soutien, d'assistance et de dépollution" BSAD JASON (pictured below).
Both systems are expected to become operational for the French Navy by 2026.
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