# loitering munitions

France Rushes to Field Armed Surface Drones as Procurement Model Shifts from Specs to Trials

France is fast-tracking armed surface unmanned vessels through competition-style trials and shifting procurement toward rapid, trial-driven experimentation. The DGA and navy expect to field one or two armed boat designs by 2027 while also expanding shipborne drones, long-range loitering munitions and targeting pods to respond to new littoral threats.