The French defence procurement agency (DGA) signed a contract with Naval Group in the frame of the SDAM program to procure new VTOL UAVs for the French Navy: the CAMCOPTER S-100F UAVs are being procured as light reconnaissance drones to equip the FREMM frigates
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 gyro stabilized 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.
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.
Source: Naval News