French Navy
France's maritime armed service; operates nuclear submarines, Charles de Gaulle, and the Sirius MMCM drone.
In early June 2026 the French Navy embarked its Sirius autonomous minehunter aboard RFA Lyme Bay at Toulon alongside Britain's Ariadne, the first joint operation of the two navies' mine-hunting drones from one ship; by 23 June the pairing had reached The Gulf.
Last refreshed: 24 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Is the French Navy's mine-hunting drone now ready to clear the Strait of Hormuz with Britain?
Timeline for French Navy
Mentioned in: Onomichi to build Bulwark robot landers
Autonomous Systems: Land & SeaContributed Sirius USV and sailors to the allied MCM package aboard Lyme Bay
Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea: Allied robot minehunters reach the GulfContributed MMCM USV Sirius and naval personnel for first joint at-sea integration
Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea: Lyme Bay embarks France's mine-hunting droneMentioned in: France pledges 80 per cent frigate readiness
Iran Conflict 2026Mentioned in: Four states add Hormuz coalition kit
Iran Conflict 2026Background
The French Navy (Marine nationale) is the maritime branch of the French armed forces, responsible for nuclear deterrence at sea, power projection and mine-countermeasures across The Atlantic, Mediterranean, Pacific and Indian Ocean. It operates ballistic-missile submarines of the SNLE class, Barracuda-class attack submarines and the nuclear-powered carrier Charles de Gaulle, and is headquartered in Paris with major bases at Toulon and Brest.
France rejoined NATO's integrated military structure in 2009 after withdrawing in 1966, and remains a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council and an Independent nuclear-weapons state; alongside the US and UK navies, it is one of three NATO fleets maintaining a continuous at-sea deterrent.
In the autonomous-systems domain, the Navy's Sirius uncrewed surface vessel has been developed since 2015 under the Anglo-French mine-countermeasures programme, with Thales supplying the sonar shared across both nations' drones.
The French Navy joins allied minehunting
At Toulon in early June 2026, the French Navy embarked Sirius aboard the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Lyme Bay alongside the Royal Navy's Ariadne, the first time either service had operated its autonomous mine-hunter from a shared mothership rather than a national platform.
By 23 June the pairing had reached the Middle East, escorted by the destroyer HMS Dragon and two German vessels, giving the French Navy its most visible operational stake yet in the allied response to Iranian mining near the Strait of Hormuz.
What autonomous mine-hunting capability does the French Navy have?
Does France have nuclear submarines?
How does the Anglo-French MMCM programme work?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 24 July 2026. Editorial standards.