French Navy

Airbus Helicopters' VSR700 unmanned aerial system (UAS) prototype has flown autonomously for the first time. At a drone test center near Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, the pilotless rotorcraft performed a 10-minute free flight.

France has launched the first of its six next-generation nuclear attack submarines in a ceremony in Cherbourg before a crowd of construction personnel and dignitaries. It is the first of the Barracuda class that will replace the French Navy's aging fleet of Rubis-class boats.

While historically it is perhaps the most common large warship, the US Navy hasn't a single frigate left in its fleet for the first time since 1943 ... and it's looking for a new one. So what will the frigates of the future look like and how will they affect future conflicts?

The French Navy has announced that it will replace the nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle when it reaches the end of its service life in the 2030s and has ordered an 18-month study to determine the architecture of one or more new carriers that will take the place of the French flagship.

If you hunt unexploded sea mines for a living, then you might not mind losing your job to a robot. That seems to be the reasoning of the British and French governments as they embark on a joint venture to develop a prototype autonomous system for detecting and neutralizing sea mines.