French Navy mine countermeasure drones deployed at sea via civilian vessels Protée, Digi Mart USA News: The French Navy already has surface drones capable of detecting sea mines, but it lacks a ship to carry them far from the coast.
In early August 2026, the Direction générale de l’armement (DGA), France’s defence procurement agency, announced an order for 12 additional drones and the charter of ships to transport them, without naming the vessels. On November 5, during the Euronaval trade show, it presented its solution: two civilian platforms named “Protée,” supplied by Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Les Abeilles International and chartered for up to 10 years.
The move is a new step in the SLAM-F program (système de lutte anti-mines du futur, or future mine countermeasures system), launched in 2020 to replace all of the Navy’s mine warfare assets.
The Protée vessels are intended to deploy drones offshore more quickly, particularly to support strategic forces, but they will be only one stage.
In a statement published on November 5, the Ministry of the Armed Forces said other ships are planned. The DGA is preparing to acquire mine warfare vessels (BGDM), which would allow operations “far and everywhere, both in mainland France and in power projection.”
However, these ships are delayed. The annex to the draft update of the military programming law foresees their acquisition “from 2032,” with four units instead of six by 2035.
In the meantime, the Navy plans to reduce its mine-hunting fleet from eight ships at the end of 2024 to two by the end of 2030. The Protée and their drones are expected to take over until the BGDM arrive.
According to DGA information, each Protée will measure 80 meters and displace 4,000 tonnes. A civilian crew will operate the ship, while a Navy detachment will handle operations.
To meet Navy requirements, the civilian vessel can receive, in modular form, a command post, two surface drones, two underwater drones, mine neutralization equipment, or a team of mine-clearance divers.
The advantage of drones lies first in the distance they place between crews and danger. They also operate deeper than mine hunters, down to 300 meters compared with 100 meters.
Their sonars are supported by algorithms that help operators sort echoes, but the decision to neutralize a mine “always remains human,” the ministry said in its statement.
Other drones, ordered from Thales and Exail, are also expected starting in the first half of 2028.
