The order forms part of the SMDM (Onboard Mini Aerial Drone Systems for the Navy) programme. Since 2022, the DGA has ordered a total of 34 Aliaca systems for the French Navy. Deliveries of the VTOL version are scheduled to begin in May 2026 following a qualification campaign.

 

Christophe Canguilhem, Aliaca programme director at Airbus Helicopters, said the VTOL variant will provide the French Navy with increased operational flexibility. The Aliaca system has already been operated successfully by the French Navy from ships and land-based locations for several years, demonstrating operational capability in service. The addition of the VTOL configuration marks an evolution of the system and reflects the maturity of the platform.

 

The Aliaca VTOL was tested both on land and at sea during late 2024 and throughout 2025. The system was unveiled in April 2025 and was developed in less than one year, building on an operationally proven version already in service with the French Navy.

 

The tactical mini-drone uses a four-propeller configuration enabling vertical take-off and landing, while maintaining fixed-wing propulsion during flight. The system has a maximum take-off weight of 25 kg, a wingspan of 3.5 metres and a length of 2.1 metres. It offers an endurance of two hours and an operational range of 50 km. The platform is equipped with a camera, a gyro-stabilised electro-optical/infrared sensor and an Automatic Identification System capable of identifying ships within a radius of several hundred kilometres.

 

The VTOL evolution retains the architecture and performance of the existing system while enabling faster deployment and reducing logistical requirements through the removal of launch and recovery systems. Operators will continue to use the existing ground control station, which is already established in operational service.

 

Qualified by the DGA and operational since 2022, the SMDM system is used by the French Navy as a remote observation capability. The system currently equips high-sea patrol vessels, overseas patrol vessels and surveillance frigates. Since summer 2023, the system has also supported search and rescue operations from the French coast in the English Channel.

 

The VTOL version is expected to expand deployment across additional vessel types and mission profiles, including tactical situational awareness, counter-illegal activity operations, maritime traffic monitoring, coastal surveillance, search and rescue and detection of suspicious activity. In the longer term, the system is also expected to support land-based coastal surveillance networks.

 

The new SMDM configuration will enter DGA qualification trials in early 2026, covering both land and sea operations before formal operational entry into service. The existing fixed-wing SMDM configuration will remain in operation aboard equipped vessels and is expected to be maintained in service for at least seven years.