A French FREMM fitted with a new jamming systems succeeded to shoot down a fixed wing UAV in October, Naval News learned from two French Navy flag officers during the Euronaval 2024 exhibition which was held last month.
“We are working a lot on this with the DGA and different industrials. We succeeded to destroy a UAV a few days ago with a brand new system, which we trained with one month ago during Wildfire exercise. This system was good enough to be quickly implemented onboard the ship and this ship departed for a mission with this system. […] We’ve got some very good ships […] but we need to upgrade these frigates with new generation of equipment such as countermeasures, counter-UAV system, new artillery ammunition. We work on how we can improve on the basis of all frigates in order to face new generation of threats.”
– Rear Admiral David Desfougères, Head of French Navy planning and programs.
Naval News was able to confirm that the two systems in questions are Neptune and MAJES DB6 which are designed and produced by French company MC2 technologies. The SME specializes in anti-drone and electronic warfare systems. Neptune is a high power GNSS jammer initially developed to train military forces to operate in A2-AD environment, under navigation warfare threat. MAJES DFB6 is the latest version of a C-UAS jammer initially developed for the PARADE anti-drone solution deployed during the Paris 2024 Olympics. Naval News as also able to obtain pictures showing the systems fitted aboard one of the two Air Defense FREMM ships of the French Navy. The pictures were taken by Toulon area ship spotter Gilbert Gyssel.
MAJES and Neptune are among various other sensor and weapon systems which were fitted recently aboard French surface combatants to upgrade their capabilities. As reported by Naval News, the Paseo XLR EO/IR system and the Skyjacker C-UAS solution, both from Safran were also implemented as part of an urgent operational requirement following initial feedback from French units deployed in the Red Sea.
What has been achieved is a first for several reasons: First, the systems were ordered, tested in exercise and finally deployed in operation in just 6 months. Second, this is a first for the French Navy to target and neutralize a UAV thanks to this type of system enlarging the solutions available to neutralize the threats in addition to Aster surface-to-air missiles and the 76mm main gun.
Naval News reached out to MC2 Technologies for comments:
“A superb example of the ability of SMEs in the defence industry to respond rapidly (6 months between the 1st meeting at Balard and the 1st operational success) and effectively to the needs of our armed forces.”
– Alexandre – Sales Manager at MC2 Technologies.
This achievement is significant when one considers that the Neptune and MAJES were previously never tested in a naval environment (and not designed for it) before the Wildfire exercise – a new French Navy exercise meant to experiment C-UAS solutions at sea – which took place in September.
It is thanks to Wildfire exercise that the French Navy decided to take the experiment a step further, by taking the systems directly on board a Red Sea-bound vessel for operational deployment, without going through the usual qualification and testing phases. Although feedback on these systems in exercise is still subject to confidentiality, Naval News was able to learn that the Neptune and the MAJES solution proved highly effective in neutralizing a swarm of 5 UAV-type drones within a range of 15 to 30km in a ship attack scenario.
Following the positive experience and feedback with the systems, vessels escorting the French aircraft carrier which recently set sails for the Indo Pacific (and which will will transit via the Red Sea), are equipped with these systems.
The Red Sea is showing how the French Navy is adapting to new and emerging threats by experimenting and fielding new systems at pace. It also revealed the proficiency of French sailors. For the record, the Navy achieved several firsts during its continuous deployment in the area. Indeed, a Panther helicopter shot down a drone in flight early this year. Just one day after, a FREMM intercepted 3 ballistic missiles.
