France’s Armament General Directorate (DGA) has qualified the vertical take-off and landing version of Airbus Helicopters’ U010 Aliaca tactical uncrewed aircraft system for service with the French Navy under the SMDM programme. The qualification follows land and sea trials conducted with the Navy in May and June. Two systems were delivered in September; eight of the 34 Aliaca systems ordered by the DGA are to be in the VTOL configuration, with each system comprising two aircraft.
The VTOL variant is intended for the Navy’s metropolitan BSAM and overseas BSAOM support and assistance vessels. Airbus has identified planned operations in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean, from homeports including New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Réunion and Martinique. No vessel-by-vessel deployment schedule was provided with the qualification announcement.
Unlike the original fixed-wing Aliaca, the VTOL configuration can take off and land vertically. The Aliaca family shares a ground control station and operating system, allowing crews to move between configurations. The fixed-wing version has been operational with the French Navy since 2022 on patrol vessels and surveillance frigates, and has also supported English Channel search-and-rescue missions since 2023.