While the war in Ukraine has reminded us of the importance of maritime intelligence and surveillance of critical infrastructure, France is accelerating on a still discreet segment of its defense industrial and technological base: underwater robotics. Long reserved for scientific research and oil exploration, new generation autonomous drones (AUVs for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) become a strategic issue for national defense.
An emerging sector
The company Seaberbased in Lorient, illustrates this new dynamic. Founded in 2020 by Vidal Teixeira And Quentin Peyregnethe company designs micro-AUV compact capable of operating up to 300 meters deep with an autonomy of 8 to 10 hours. These drones, first designed for oceanographic research, are now being tested for coastal surveillance, anomaly detection and recognition of sensitive areas missions.
With a fundraising of 1.5 million euros made from Sodero, Breizh Up, FNX Ventures And Angels DefenseSeaber is part of the French strategy of dual defensecombining civil and military applications. The company now plans to double its turnover every year and achieve a production of 100 drones per year by 2030supported by the growing needs of the navy and maritime infrastructure operators.
From research to defense
The development of these solutions is based on an already solid research base. Actors like Ifremer, Naval Group Or Exail have for several years built expertise in underwater robotics, propulsion and autonomous navigation. Seaber is part of this continuity, but with a more industrial and modular approach. Its micro-AUVs can be deployed quickly, require little logistics, and cost much less than the heavy underwater vehicles used by the armed forces.
This approach “small, smart, scalable” is of particular interest to National Navywhich is increasing experiments around hybrid fleets combining aerial, surface and submarine drones. These systems make it possible to collect tactical data without exposing crewsparticularly in contested or difficult to access areas.
An issue of technological sovereignty
The rise in power of micro-AUVs also responds to a logic of industrial sovereignty. In a context where the United States and China are investing massively in maritime robotics, France intends to secure a national value chain going from the design of systems to their production. Support from regional funds such as Breizh Up and specialist defense investors, such as Angels Defensedemonstrates this desire to strengthen the French industrial base in critical technologies.
There Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) has also identified autonomous underwater robotics as a priority axis of innovation. It makes it possible to both support regional technological SMEs and provide defense with new operational capabilities: mine detection, monitoring of submarine cables, or monitoring of offshore energy installations.
Towards an autonomous French fleet
If Seaber’s AUVs represent a first step, the next few years could see the emergence of real cooperative autonomous fleetscapable of working in swarms and sharing their data in real time via acoustic or satellite links. Such a capacity would offer France a strategic superiority in the knowledge and protection of its maritime spaces, which cover nearly 11 million km² of exclusive economic zones.
Beyond military applications, this technology is intended to serve theoceanographythere environmental monitoringor even the offshore infrastructure maintenancein a logic of duality dear to French industrial policy.
A structuring fundraising
By attracting 1.5 million euros near Sodero, Breizh Up, FNX Ventures And Angels DefenseSeaber takes a new step in its development. This operation will allowaccelerate its international expansionwhile consolidating its industrial roots in Lorient. Above all, it illustrates the growing maturity of French DeepTech applied to defensewhere technology, speed of execution and international ambition establish themselves as the new standards of competitiveness.
