Naval Group unveils SCX26 drone-carrying warship concept

Naval Group has unveiled a concept for a large, drone-carrying surface combatant called SCX26 at the Euronaval exhibition in Paris, the French shipbuilder said in a press release. The company describes the ship as a research project meant to serve as the operational hub of a hybrid fleet, launching aerial, surface and underwater drones for reconnaissance, electronic warfare, anti-submarine warfare and protection missions.

SCX26 is not a ship anyone has ordered. Naval Group calls it a “theoretical ship concept” that combines lessons from recent conflicts with technology it expects to mature over the medium to long term, and it has not linked the design to any French Navy program or export customer. Euronaval runs from Nov. 3 to 6 at Paris Nord Villepinte.

Details released at the show describe a ship of about 170 m (558 feet) and roughly 8,000 tons, larger than the 4,500-ton FDI frigates Naval Group is building in series for France, Greece and Sweden. The concept has a top speed of about 30 knots and a range of more than 8,000 nautical miles, Defense Mirror reported, with a crew of about 150 and room for another 100 commanders, specialists or drone operators.

The weapons fit goes beyond anything on today’s French warships. Naval Group’s concept carries more than 100 vertical launch cells, an electromagnetic railgun as its main gun, a 100-kilowatt laser, two Rampart multipurpose launchers for short-range missiles, guided rockets and decoys, and remotely operated secondary guns. The War Zone reported that the Sylver launchers would hold up to 96 missiles such as Aster 30 air defense interceptors and MdCN land-attack cruise missiles, with quad-packed CAMM missiles or future launchers taking the count past 100.

Drone operations sit at the center of the design. A large mission bay under the flight deck, linked by a high-capacity elevator, would house helicopters and uncrewed systems, and the concept includes space for maintaining drones and producing spare parts on board. The flight deck has room for one NH90-sized helicopter and two smaller vertical takeoff drones.

Naval Group says the ship’s configuration can change over its service life to match missions. The hull is split into two main sections with a flexible zone between them for future equipment, and critical weapons and sensors are divided between the bow and stern, with two separate masts, so that a single hit is less likely to knock out the whole ship.

Sensors on the concept include a UHF radar intended for ballistic missile defense, a multifunction radar derived from the Sea Fire family used on the FDI frigate, a full anti-submarine sonar suite and electronic warfare systems. A data-centric combat system using AI would manage the information and coordinate the drones.

The railgun is one of the least mature technologies in the package. No navy has fielded one operationally, although Japan has tested a sea-based railgun on a test ship, and France, Germany and Japan signed a railgun research cooperation agreement in 2024.

Naval Group’s current surface ship production is centered on the FDI, which the Hellenic Navy is already receiving, including the second frigate, HS Nearchos. The company has not said whether any element of SCX26 will be offered for future frigate or destroyer programs, or what such a ship might cost.