
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Thales has delivered the first drone system for mine countermeasures to the French Navy, as part of the MMCM (Maritime Mine Counter Measures) programme.
World first: this is the first autonomous surface drone system in service with a navy.
Thales achieves a technological breakthrough with autonomous, cyber-secure drone systems that include Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Group is involved in redefining the operational concept for mine warfare.
Thales Eloi Stichelbaut|Polaryse Thales delivered the first serial production system of mine countermeasure drones to the French Navy in December 2024. This is a world first, as part of the Franco-British MMCM program, led by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) and under the aegis of OCCAR1. A real technological breakthrough in the conduct of mine countermeasure missions, this system helps reduce sailors exposure to danger and contributes to the security of the maritime domain, which is the backbone of the global economy.
The first system delivered to the French Navy includes a surface drone (USV - Unmanned Surface Vehicle) equipped with the towed sonar TSAM for the detection and classification of naval mines. Its operations can be controlled from land, from a mother ship, or from an opportunistic vessel, thereby enabling mine countermeasure missions to be carried out while reducing crew exposure to danger. Thales, the systems provider and integrator for the MMCM program, is at the forefront of drone systems for naval mine countermeasures, with innovative solutions such as the SAMDIS multi-view sonar, the portable e-POC operations centre, the M-Cube mission management system, and the Mi-Map data analysis application, recognized for its exceptional performance and low false alarm rate, particularly due to the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
The compact 12-metre naval surface drone is designed to be air transportable, allowing for deployment within 48 hours aboard an A400M and can be embarked on the future Mine Warfare Vessel (BGDM).
Thales and its partners are proud to have met the challenges associated with their role as pioneers. Within the SLAMF1 program, France will receive 6 USV in 2025: 3 system-of-systems, each comprising 2 USVs, will be delivered to the French Navy, in addition to the prototype system already delivered and updated. The British Royal Navy will also receive 4 system-of-systems, each consisting of one USV, during 2025.
The United Kingdom and France have set an ambitious goal: to transform their mine countermeasure capabilities by adopting new disruptive operational concepts. Thales is proud to be at the heart of this transformation, which positions both nations as pioneers in autonomous naval systems. Our Group, a world leader in mine countermeasures, reaffirms its position as an innovative and reliable partner that navies can count on to develop their strategic capabilities. said Philippe Duhamel, Executive Vice-President, Defence Mission Systems, Thales.
About Thales
Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies specialising in three business domains: Defence & Security, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital.
It develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive.
The Group invests close to 4 billion a year in Research & Development, particularly in key innovation areas such as AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, cloud technologies and 6G.Thales has close to 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2023, the Group generated sales of 18.4 billion.
1OCCAR : Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation
2SLAMF - Syst me de Lutte Anti-mines Marines Futur (future naval mine countermeasures system) is an advanced naval mine countermeasures system being developed primarily by the French Navy. This system aims to enhance the ability to detect, classify, and neutralize underwater mines, which pose a significant threat to naval operations and maritime security.
Documents
20250210_World first Thales delivers first autonomous drone system for mine countermeasures to the French Navy.pdf
Contact
Thales Media Relations
Contact our Media Relations team
14 Feb 2025
Thales introduces new FIDO Key Lifecycle Management solution to enable secure authentication at scale
Read more
14 Feb 2025
Thales Alenia Space and ESA sign contract for HydRON to demonstrate first multi-orbit optical communication network
Read more
13 Feb 2025
Thales, Amelia and Breakthrough Energy Contrails launch one of worlds largest Contrail Avoidance campaigns
Read more
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
21/01/2026
Wednesday 21 January 2026
Backing Britain on the global stage: Sky becomes an o...
21/01/2026
Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Resul...
21/01/2026
Baselight v7 brings colourists and post-houses smarter mattes, faster workflows and deeper control
FilmLight, known for its detailed colour toolset and longsta...
21/01/2026
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of Jackie Fox as its new Washington Correspondent. Jackie is a multimedia journalist with RT News and has repor...
19/01/2026
Monday 19 January 2026
Sky News reinvents News at Ten for the modern audience with The Wrap
Sky News today announces The Wrap, a bold evolution of its 10pm ou...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones is striking a new chord in piano miking with the debut of its DPK2015 Piano Stereo Kit, an out-of-the-box, plug-and-play miking solution that ta...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones will present its 4099 CORE Instrument Microphone and redesigned...
19/01/2026
Trianel relies on Arvato Systems for future-proof data center operations
Moving to the cloud: Arvato Systems implements extensive IT migration project
Migrat...
19/01/2026
Celebrating 21 Years of the RT Choice Music Prize
RT Choice Music Prize
In association with IMRO and IRMA
Irish Album of the Year 2025 - Shortlist Announce...
18/01/2026
January 18 2026, 21:30 (PST) Dolby Cinema Arrives in Bengaluru: Dolby Laborator...
16/01/2026
The start of a new year brings fresh possibilities. Whether you're diving in with big goals or simply setting new intentions, audiobooks can bring inspirati...
16/01/2026
In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...
15/01/2026
The SGL Carbon site in Bonn has a long tradition of training. For many years, young talent has been successfully trained here, regularly achieving excellent exa...
15/01/2026
The JEC Composites Innovation Awards annually honor the most innovative and ambi...
15/01/2026
X-energy Reactor Company, LLC ( X-energy ) and SGL Carbon LLC ( SGL ) have signed a 10-year framework agreement to provide graphite for the deployment of X-ener...
15/01/2026
RT is tonight announcing that Mari Hurley has decided to leave her role as RT 's Chief Financial Officer to take up a new position outside RT . Mari will r...
15/01/2026
15 Jan 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Reaches 3.0 million Customers with Starlink Dir...
15/01/2026
Views to free streaming service U grew by 15%, average monthly active users by 23% and registrations by 18%
UKTV's channels achieved record viewing share, ...
15/01/2026
Thursday 15 January 2026
Sky Sports to show Final Stage of inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup
Sky and FIFA have agreed an exclusive new partnership whi...
15/01/2026
Thursday 15 January 2026
The official trailer for the second season of Seth Mac...
15/01/2026
Wuppertal January 15, 2026
Riedel RefCam Takes Center Court in German Basketba...
15/01/2026
Arvato Systems Named Launch Partner for AWS European Sovereign Cloud
As a launch partner for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, Arvato Systems enables customer...
14/01/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 13th January, 2026 ITV, one of the UKs leading broadcasters, has selected Yospace, the global leader in Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), to ...
14/01/2026
Steiger Media's adoption of Calrec's compact Argo M console not only makes its innovative new hybrid truck faster, more efficient, and agile, but also e...
14/01/2026
Press Release: The Boston Globe Names Cartesian a Top Place to Work in 2025
January 14, 2026
News
Cartesian - January 14, 2026 - EINPresswire.com - Sp...
14/01/2026
Comscore and Marcus Theatres Announce Five-Year Extension for Cinema ACE and Ent...
14/01/2026
Comscore and Santikos Entertainment Announce Five-Year Circuit Wide Commitment t...
14/01/2026
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Sky News announces Cathy Newman to lead flagship new political programme
Sky News today announces that award-winning journalist and ...
14/01/2026
The first stamp of An Post's 2026 Stamp Programme, marking 100 Years of Broadcasting, was unveiled at the GPO by Patrick O'Donovan TD, Minister for Cult...
14/01/2026
It's official! Beverley Callard has landed in Carrigstown. The beloved actor, known for her unforgettable roles and iconic screen presence, is joining the c...
13/01/2026
Independent media in Brazil and Colombia is facing an urgent crisis of traditional business models alongside a deteriorating security environment, according to ...
13/01/2026
Luxembourg, December 17, 2025 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading spa...
13/01/2026
Written and executive produced by Steve Lightfoot and Angela LaManna, produced b...
13/01/2026
New updates to Hitmaker Expansion from Celemony and Softube Edit pitch-perfect vocals with Melodyne Essential and get radio-ready guitar tones from Softube...
13/01/2026
Live broadcasts from RT 2FM Breakfast with Carl, Roz & Aisling, RT Radio 1 Tod...
12/01/2026
Spotify's new co-CEOs, Alex Norstr m and Gustav S derstr m, start off the new year with a message of renewed leadership, creative responsibility, and what...
12/01/2026
At Spotify, we listen to a lot of music. And every year, our global editors and artist partnerships teams come together to spotlight the emerging voices we beli...
12/01/2026
Spotify's global editors and Songwriter & Publisher Partnerships team spend their days immersed in new music, tracking the writers behind the songs breaking...
12/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz opens larger office in Japan and increases its support for the J...
12/01/2026
X-Rite and Rhopoint Launch Rhopoint PANTORA Aesthetix to Streamline Creation of...
12/01/2026
12 Jan 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Launches 5G Pilot in Lviv Lviv, January 12, 2026 - VEON, a global digital operator (Nasdaq: VEON), today announces that Kyivsta...
12/01/2026
Monday 12 January 2026
The ultimate betrayal: Harry and Jamie Redknapp, Paul Me...
12/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz opens larger office in Japan to increase its support for the Jap...
12/01/2026
Welcome to the AVECO team: introducing new members of management
At AVECO, we are continuing to implement our #newAVECO strategy, which aims to build an even s...
12/01/2026
For the first time in the nine-year history of Dancing with the Stars, the first...