Coverage of the Safran Electronics and Defense booth at IDEX 2025 in Abu Dhabi.
IGG and Safran inaugurate Vision for Optronics & Navigation site in United Arab Emirates
Vision for Optronics & Navigation is the result of a long-standing collaboration between Safran Electronics & Defense and IGG. The joint venture will be a major new player in the United Arab Emirates with the opening of a center of excellence dedicated to R&D and manufacture of critical military equipment. The center will focus on airborne, land and maritime optronics as well as inertial navigation, providing fast and efficient support to meet the needs of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces.
The site, covering more than 800 square meters (8,600 sq.ft), boasts modern, scalable facilities, including state-of-the-art cleanrooms and advanced industrial equipment. It will create highly skilled jobs, helping to stimulate local economic development and strengthening the country’s defense industrial base.
Naval EO/IR systems
PASEO XLR
Specifically designed for operations in extreme naval environments, PASEO XLR comprises a high-performance gyrostabilized platform providing an accurate line of sight, a wide set of imagers with continuous zoom and high-power telescopes, and an eye-safe laser range finder.
PASEO XLR allows manual or automatic sector surveillance, automatic target tracking, visual identification, laser ranging, and transmission or reception of 3D target data. When fitted with its optional ballistic computer, PASEO XLR is able to simultaneously control several guns of different calibers to ensure high-accuracy gun firing.
Integrated into a Combat Management System or operated in a stand-alone mode, PASEO XLR allows manual or automatic sector surveillance, automatic target tracking, visual identification, and transmission or reception of 3D target designation information. PASEO XLR can simultaneously control several guns of different calibers.
PASEO XLR is currently fitted on the Philippine Navy’s frigates (and upcoming corvettes) built by Hyundai Heavy Industries and on the Indian Navy aircraft carrier Vikrant.
Vampir NG
VAMPIR NG is the main naval passive detection sensor for surface vessels from Safran. It keeps an eye at 360° and allows detection of all conventional and asymmetric threats: low-flying anti-ship missiles, combat aircraft, drones, and fast-moving craft such as jet-skis.
It complements radar systems for tatical situation assessment around the ship. The latest version of the VAMPIR NG includes a new infrared sensor, upgraded electronics and image processing algorithms involving data fusion and deep learning.
Vigy
Vigy is a stabilized observation system designed for lighter platforms from fast attack crafts to OPVs. At day or night, the Vigy can operate in tough weather conditions and remains modular according to the missions wanted. The platform has the advantage to be configurable in terms of payload including infrared imager, color TV camera, laser rangefinder and automatic video tracking capabilities. A Vigy Engage version is also available, adding a fire control function for light weapons in addition to the optronic capabilities.
In 2022, Safran launched an enhanced version of their Vigy, called Vigy 4, more dedicated to medium platforms such as OPVs and corvettes as the system is also fitted for medium weapons systems.
Vigy systems is very successful for export as several hundreds of systems were already sold in their different versions. In 2024, the Egyptian Navy selected Safran for the installation of such systems on their future OPVs.
Naval inertial nagivation systems
Designed for surface vessels, from patrol boats to aircraft carriers, Argonyx family of INS provides accurate attitudes & precise localization for sensors stabilization & weapons alignment, even in full GNSS denied environments.
Skyjacker C-UAS
Skyjacker replaces the hostile drone’s satellite guidance signals with modified signals designed to deceive the drone about its position in order to disrupt or interrupt its mission. Skyjacker is particularly well suited to countering saturation attacks, such as swarming drones. The system can also defeat isolated drones piloted remotely by an operator and deliver effects at ranges from 1 to 10 kilometers (over 6 miles).
Skyjacker’s modular design incorporates a C2 (command and control) unit to manage the entire system, as well as one or more spoofing transmitters. It can be coupled with a wide array of sensors, such as optronic sights, radars, and radiofrequency detectors, and with lasers, communication jammers, and other effectors. Skyjacker can be deployed as a mobile version or interconnected with existing surveillance and fire control systems on land vehicles or naval vessels.
