Images that have circulated on social media earlier this week show the Naval Group’s Rampart modular launcher undergoing at-sea testing aboard a French Navy Mistral-class amphibious assault ship off Toulon.
The system was installed on the vessel’s forward starboard sponson, offering the earliest publicly available visual proof of Rampart fitted aboard a French Navy platform. The identity of the ship has not been established.
This is one of the locations the Naval Group had previously studied for fitting the system to a Mistral-class ship. The ships in the class use those spots for their SIMBAD systems designed for very-short-range air defence.
Rampart is being developed to defend ships from aerial drones, unmanned surface vehicles, fast attack craft, and other close-range threats. The Naval Group has given the initial engagement envelope as about eight kilometres, although the installed effector will ultimately determine the range.
The non-penetrating launcher weighs about four tonnes and carries four interchangeable ammunition modules with a combined payload of approximately 1,000 kg. Rockets, missiles, grenades, decoys, underwater weapons, or unmanned aerial vehicles can be carried in the modules.
Rampart can operate autonomously through a dedicated station for close-range protection or connect to a ship’s combat management system.
The principal weapon currently associated with the system is Thales’ 68mm rocket. Each module can hold 20 such rockets, allowing a maximum ready-use load of 80 rounds. The laser-guided version has a stated range of up to five kilometres and is designed to engage aerial drones as well as small surface craft.
The Naval Group completed land-based firings of Rampart at the Canjuers Army range in May of this year. The campaign included guided and unguided 68mm rockets, with individual engagements against a target at approximately three km and a separate five-rocket salvo.
The naval installation had been planned for autumn 2026, with the complete system expected to participate in the October Wildfire counter-drone exercise. That campaign is intended to test Rampart against moving aerial and surface targets.