Exclusive: French Navy tests Fly-R loitering munition from frigate for enhanced combat role.

According to information published by FLY-R on July 1, 2025, a significant milestone in naval drone integration was achieved on June 17, 2025, when the French Navy successfully deployed a remotely operated aerial system from the surveillance frigate Floréal. Developed by the French company FLY-R, the fixed-wing drone was launched at sea and controlled in real-time by the crew onboard, executing a series of complex maneuvers around a simulated mobile maritime target during a live trial.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

The Fly-R fixed-wing loitering munition is launched from the French Navy’s Floréal-class frigate during a live maritime trial on June 17, 2025, demonstrating its maneuverability and potential for naval strike missions. (Picture source: Fly-R)

This demonstration is a pivotal element in a broader innovation program spearheaded by the French Navy to evaluate the tactical application of remotely operated munitions in naval environments. With the increasing prevalence of unmanned systems in modern maritime conflict zones, the initiative underscores the Navy’s strategic pivot toward more agile and resilient force structures capable of countering emerging threats through advanced autonomous and semi-autonomous capabilities. The test validates the adaptability of FLY-R’s technology for maritime missions and marks a step forward in France’s objective to operationalize drone solutions across its surface fleet.

FLY-R is a French aerospace company specialized in the development of high-performance fixed-wing drones and remotely operated aerial vectors tailored to complex operational scenarios. Renowned for its expertise in aerodynamically optimized rhomboidal wing configurations, FLY-R offers unmanned aerial systems with extended endurance, compact logistics footprints, and high versatility for both land and naval applications. The company’s designs emphasize portability and modular integration, making them suitable for deployment from confined platforms such as warships.

For the French Navy, the interest in deploying loitering munitions and tactical drones from vessels lies in enhancing surveillance, precision strike capabilities, and maritime situational awareness without exposing crewed assets to high-risk environments. Ship-launched unmanned vectors offer the flexibility to track and engage moving targets at sea or in littoral zones with a high degree of autonomy and responsiveness. By integrating such systems onboard platforms like the Floréal-class frigate, the Navy not only extends its operational reach but also gains a force multiplier capable of real-time reconnaissance and immediate kinetic effect in contested waters.

The Floréal-class frigates, built by DCNS (now Naval Group) and commissioned in the early 1990s, are light surveillance warships designed for low-intensity operations, maritime patrol, and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) protection. Displacing approximately 2,600 tons and equipped with a helicopter deck and hangar, these ships are optimized for overseas missions and forward presence. Their modular design and expansive deck space make them ideal platforms for testing and integrating emerging unmanned systems such as the FLY-R vector, thereby expanding their operational versatility in modern naval warfare.

This successful at-sea demonstration highlights a growing shift within the French Navy to extend the proven combat value of loitering munitions, which are already in use with French land forces, into the maritime domain. By adapting this technology for deployment from naval platforms, the Navy aims to mirror the operational advantages achieved on land, including enhanced target acquisition, real-time engagement flexibility, and reduced risk to human operators. The integration of remotely operated aerial vectors such as those developed by FLY-R marks a decisive move toward equipping surface combatants with autonomous strike capabilities and paves the way for a new generation of naval warfare defined by precision, adaptability, and technological superiority.