French Navy rams explosive drone boat into cargo vessel in live test

PARIS — France detonated a naval explosive drone against a decommissioned cargo vessel at sea, the latest in a string of live-fire experiments as the French Navy seeks to prepare its ships and crews for high-intensity combat in what the government here calls an increasingly unstable international context.

The test explosion on April 26 will allow to France to perfect remotely-operated naval munition systems, including their guidance and pyrotechnics, the Armed Forces Ministry said in an emailed statement. The weaponized unmanned surface vehicle (USV) was deployed by a Navy offshore patrol vessel off the coast of Toulon, the home of France’s main naval base.

“The aim of the experiment was to confirm the French Navy’s ability to deploy a remotely-operated naval munition from the sea,” the ministry said. “Given the tougher international context, it now seems appropriate for the French Navy to carry out such experimental campaigns at sea.”

USVs packed with explosives have helped Ukraine keep Russia at bay in the Black Sea, with Ukrainian forces using the drones to sink several Russian ships. Militaries around the world have taken note, with Florida-based Maritime Tactical Systems last year unveiling a one-way mission naval drone for the U.S. Navy.

In the recent French trial, the target hull was depolluted and stripped of fuels and fluids, the ministry said. The impact zone on the target vessel was protected with metal plates and tires to function as a shield and limit the risk of sinking, though a video of the test blast published by the Navy on X suggested the USV may have missed the metal plates.

The naval-drone test follows a live torpedo firing in December, with a French Navy nuclear attack submarine firing a F21 heavy torpedo against the decommissioned aviso Premier-Maître L’Her, breaking the hull of the 80-meter vessel and sinking it.

In February, the Navy performed a shock test on the Lafayette-class frigate Courbet, detonating a naval mine near the vessel as it was under sail with its crew.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——法国在海上引爆了一架海军爆炸无人机，目标是一艘退役的货船。这是法国海军为应对政府所称的日益不稳定的国际形势，进行一系列实弹试验的最新成果，旨在让其舰艇和船员做好应对高强度战斗的准备。

法国国防部在一份电子邮件声明中表示，4月26日的试爆将有助于法国完善遥控海军弹药系统，包括其制导和烟火技术。此次试爆使用的无人水面舰艇（USV）由一艘海军近海巡逻舰部署在法国主要海军基地所在地土伦海岸附近。

法国国防部表示：“此次试验的目的是验证法国海军从海上投放遥控舰载弹药的能力。鉴于当前国际形势日益严峻，法国海军现在开展此类海上试验似乎是恰当的。”

乌克兰利用装载炸药的无人水面艇（USV）在黑海遏制了俄罗斯的进攻，乌克兰军队曾用这些无人机击沉数艘俄罗斯舰船。世界各国军队都注意到了这一点，总部位于佛罗里达州的海洋战术系统公司去年为美国海军推出了一款单程任务的海上无人机。

法国国防部表示，在最近的法国试验中，目标船体经过了去污处理，并清除了燃料和液体。目标船体的冲击区域用金属板和轮胎进行了保护，以起到防护作用，降低沉没风险。不过，海军在X网站上发布的一段试验爆炸视频显示，无人水面艇可能没有击中金属板。

此次海军无人机测试是在 12 月份的一次实弹鱼雷发射之后进行的。当时，法国海军的一艘核动力攻击潜艇向已退役的“Premier-Maître L'Her”号驱逐舰发射了一枚 F21 重型鱼雷，击碎了这艘 80 米长舰艇的船体并将其击沉。

今年二月，海军对拉斐特级护卫舰“库尔贝”号进行了冲击测试，在舰艇航行时，在其附近引爆了一枚水雷。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。