Aviation News – France’s defence procurement agency has ordered a new vertical take-off and landing version of Airbus Helicopters’ Aliaca mini-drone to strengthen French Navy shipboard surveillance, marking a bolt-on upgrade to its growing unmanned fleet.
The French Directorate General of Armament (DGA) selected Airbus Helicopters, through its subsidiary Survey Copter, to deliver the latest configuration of the Systèmes de Mini-Drones Aériens Embarqués (SMDM) programme. A total of 34 Aliaca systems have been ordered since 2022, with deliveries of the new VTOL variant scheduled to begin in May 2026 after a qualification campaign. The development builds on an Aliaca model already proven during French Navy operations, enabling faster integration with minimal disruption.
The Aliaca VTOL combines quad-rotor vertical lift with fixed-wing flight, allowing ships to launch and recover the drone without catapults or runways. Weighing 25 kg with a 3.5-metre wingspan, the system can stay airborne for two hours and operate out to 50 kilometres. It carries a gyro-stabilised electro-optical/infrared camera and an Automatic Identification System capable of tracking and identifying vessels across a wide maritime area, improving real-time situational awareness for crews at sea.