Naval Group SCX 26 concept: an 8,000-tonne warship built to launch and recover drones
French shipbuilder Naval Group unveiled SCX 26 at the Euronaval defense show in Paris on November 3. It's a concept ship, not a production design: a 170-metre, 8,000-tonne warship drawn around a large aft mission bay with lifts and an elevator to load, deploy, recover and maintain aerial, surface and underwater drones and helicopters.
Naval Group says the ship would hit 30 knots, sail more than 8,000 nautical miles, carry a crew of 150, and pack more than 100 vertical launch cells, an electromagnetic gun and a 100 kW laser.
The company says the concept isn't necessarily tied to a future program, so there's no build date or customer. The same day, Breaking Defense reports, Naval Group signed a contract with France's arms agency, the DGA, to build an unmanned combat underwater vehicle demonstrator for the French Navy, with first sea tests slated for 2028.
More on drones.
Sources
- Breaking Defense: Naval Group unveils new drone carrier concept
- Naval Group: new concept ship SCX 26
- Defence Procurement International: Naval Group unveils drone ship at Euronaval
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