OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation) announced the successful delivery of “Rigel”, the second Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) for the French Navy (Marine Nationale) under the French-British Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) program.
In a social media post on LinkedIn, OCCAR said the handover was completed on 21 October 2025. The post reads:
Ten months after the delivery of “Canopus” (the first French USV), the arrival of Rigel represents an additional enhancement for the Marine Nationale to follow its ramp-up to a fully operational mine countermeasure capability, unlocks new capabilities and brings improved maturity and reliability.
This delivery reflects the unwavering commitment of all stakeholders and reiterates the continued development of enabling a disruptive concept for detection and destruction in the field of naval mines.
It also reinforces the strategic partnership between France and the United Kingdom (UK) under the Lancaster House Treaties. It highlights the value of joint defence procurement and operational interoperability in highly critical missions such as safeguarding deterrence and European maritime interests.
Known as SLAMF in France, the MMCM program will replace all legacy mine warfare platforms (Tripartite-class mine hunters, sonar towing vessels, diver support vessels). The SLAMF program will help secure the deployment of the French Navy’s strategic units (nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and aircraft carrier) and protect access to French ports. It can also support the deployment of a naval action force, secure the evacuation of nationals by sea, participate in crisis prevention or intervene in a contested environment.
This first part of the SLAMF program, is the result of a Franco-British cooperation and is part of the Lancaster House military agreement (2010). The contract for the design, development and production of the prototypes (one per country) was signed in March 2015 between Thales and OCCAR on behalf of the two countries.
Each SLAMF system is composed of two USVs, one equipped with a towed sonar and the other with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and two UAVs, responsible for detecting, classifying and locating mines. The remotely operated robot (MUMMS by Saab) is used to identify and neutralize mines. Exail, a Thales subcontractor, produces the UUVs equipped with Thales sonars.
The French Navy is set to take delivery of 8 SLAMF modules by 2030 as well as 6 MCM motherships for UAV/USV/UUV known as “bâtiments de guerre des mines” (BGDM) and 5 EOD divers support vessels known as “bâtiments base plongeurs démineurs nouvelle generation” (BBPD NG).
While originally designed and produced by ASV (L3Harris), Naval News understands that the USVs for the SLAMF/MMCM program are now being produced by French shipbuilder COUACH on behalf of Thales (the prime contractor and lead systems integrator). This was achieved after Thales acquired the IP of the USV from L3Harris.
