The French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) and defence technology companies Thales and Lacroix are developing a ship-launched drone decoy to protect French Navy surface vessels from anti-ship missiles.
Flight testing of the first aerial prototype Dauphin drone is scheduled for 2027.
The name Dauphin is drawn from the craft’s designation, which translates to “helicopter-deployed self-protection drone for naval interception“ (drone d'autoprotection projeté et héliporté d'interception navale).
The partners reported successful demonstration of the system's high-power transmission block. Lacroix plans to produce and test its first aerial-vector prototype next year.
The programme began in late 2024 and is led by the DGA to meet French Navy requirements. Thales is handling the electronic warfare payload while Lacroix is developing a pyrotechnic ejector and a multicopter unmanned aerial vehicle to carry it.
Five DGA centres are contributing expertise to reduce technological risk.
A vessel would deploy Dauphin in response to a missile threat. Once launched, the drone will operate autonomously without a datalink to the host ship.
A direction-finding antenna will determine where the threat radar signal is coming from, allowing the drone to hold position in front of the incoming missile's seeker beam. A digital radio frequency memory unit will capture, record, and modify the radar signal to generate a false return. A solidstate, high-power amplifier will drive the transmission.
Thales said a single drone can simulate the radar cross section of a French Navy FDI frigate or a larger vessel.
The decoy is intended to supplement existing hard kill and soft kill defences and to operate alongside shipboard jammers. If it diverts an incoming missile, the ship does not need to expend a hard kill interceptor such as an Aster missile.
No launcher has yet been selected, and compactness is a design priority. Installation aboard naval vessels will require a separate contract after the current development phase.
Recovery and reuse remain under consideration, and reuse would require replacing components such as the pyrotechnic propellant.
The partners consider export marketing premature at this stage.
