The French defense procurement agency (DGA) signed two contracts with Naval Group and Airbus Helicopters in the frame of the SDAM program to procure new VTOL UAVs for the French Navy: CAMCOPTER S-100F are being procured as light reconnaissance drones to equip the FREMM frigates while six larger VSR700 drones are being procured to be deployed from the “BRF” supply vessels.
CAMCOPTER S-100 F
The S-100 contract was inked between the DGA and Naval Group on 29 December 2025. It consists in the procurement of lightweight vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) capability, based on the CAMCOPTER® S-100F drone produced by Schiebel and already in service with the French Mistral-class LHDs.
According to the French armed forces, the S-100 system extends ship surveillance capabilities beyond the horizon and enables operational missions with a flight endurance of approximately six hours and a maximum payload of 50 kg.
According to Naval Group, this new phase of the SDAM program follows on from work carried out jointly by the DGA and Naval Group, which notably validated the deployment of drones from the sea using the STEERIS MS mission system, as well as from land using the containerized STEERIS COMMAND operational centers.
The contract consists in the supply by Naval Group of five CAMCOPTER S-100F aerial drone systems (each system consists in two S-100 aircraft), as well as solutions for their physical and functional integration onto the French Navy’s multi-mission frigates. The drones will be equipped with a wide-field optical sensor and a gyrostabilized optronic turret. Naval News understands that a first FREMM frigate is expected to receive the updates to accommodate the S-100 by the end of this summer.
VSR700
The VSR700 contract was inked between the DGA, Naval Group and Airbus Helicopters on 30 December 2025. The VSR 700 is a multi-mission, long-endurance rotary-wing drone system developed by Airbus Helicopters in collaboration with the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs. The aircraft is derived from and adapted from the Cabri G2 light helicopter, certified by the French SME Hélicoptères Guimbal. It has an endurance of 8 hours and can carry a payload of up to 220 kg. The VSR700 will be delivered in an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) configuration comprising a surveillance radar, an electro optical system and an AIS (Automatic Identification System) receiver. Naval Group will ensure its integration into the overall architecture of the ships and its interconnection with the combat system thanks to the Steeris® Mission System.
According to Naval Group, the VSR700 system is designed for automatic takeoff and landing from warships. Each drone will be operated using Naval Group’s STEERIS MS mission system and STEERIS COMMAND containerized operational centers, enabling rapid deployment from land.
This DGA contract is part of the framework agreement signed at the Paris Air Show 2025 at Le Bourget. These aircraft will be progressively integrated aboard the Jacques Chevallier-class supply vessels (also known as “BRF”), thus supporting the Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group.
