Facing the rising tensions, the increasing sophistication of military technologies and the complexity of maritime operations, innovation is essential to ensure sovereignty and technological and operational superiority. To prepare for the fight of tomorrow, the French Navy created the PERSEUS project.
Created in 2023, the PERSEUS label aims to accelerate the innovation cycle by linking industry, the French Navy and the French Procurement Agency (DGA). The equipment developed by the manufacturers is made available to sailors for testing under conditions that are most representative of an operational situation. This label is awarded to the most mature or promising equipment. The 2023 and 2024 editions have allowed 13 innovative projects to be certified to prepare for tomorrow’s war.
Context and objectives of the PERSEUS label
Innovation in military technology has always been influenced by the needs of combat. Since antiquity and the invention of the first warships, technological advances have been decisive in the success of military operations. Today, in the 21st century, maritime technologies are evolving rapidly with increasingly sophisticated innovations such as underwater drones and electronic warfare. It is therefore essential to be able to innovate quickly to adapt to new threats.
The MERCATOR plan was launched in 2018 and updated by the MERCATOR ACCELERATION 2021 plan. It is defined by four objectives: a marine that works everyday on all the seas of the world, a combat navy capable of operating under threat, a navy at the edge of technology and a navy that can counts on each of its sailors. In the face of a more dangerous global security environment, it was necessary to give new impetus to this plan. MERCATOR 2023 sets the course to be followed. France must have a more effective navy in the face of the urgency of the situation. To this end, MERCATOR 2023 is based on three axes: a “combat navy”, a “talent navy” and a “forward marine”. The PERSEUS project is a concrete example of this last axis, combining long-term armament programmes with short-term technological innovation and combat.
The PERSEUS project seeks to accelerate the innovation loop in order to detect promising ideas faster, which will become the key tools of tomorrow’s combat. Admiral Pierre Vandier says that “Perseus is the way for the Navy to marry long and short time.” He refers to the fact that these new innovations will allow the Navy to adapt to the immediate needs of sailors while continuing to develop long-term programs such as submarines or frigates. Real-world testing on board the Navy’s vessels and aircraft is essential to the rapid development of innovations.
As part of the PERSEUS project, the French navy makes its equipment available to industrialists in order to offer them a «laboratory» to test their project in a context closer to reality, during training or deployment. In 2023, the innovations that are candidates for the label were tested as part of the ORION23 and POLARIS exercise.
Award-winning innovations
This label is awarded each year to the most mature or promising equipment. It offers visibility to the industry awarded, it serves as a showcase to show the skills of the industrial. During the 2023 edition of the PERSEUS project, 3 companies were certified.
Arkeocean was awarded for its swarms of underwater drones, which allow in particular to collect data en masse. This technology was tested during the ORION23 exercise, in which drones carried out a saturation attack on a French frigate.
Safran Electronics & Defense was awarded for its NAVKITE navigation system, developed with the Commandos Marine. A system that provides position, navigation and time data transmission in a GNSS-denied environment (when forces are facing interference, luring or signal unavailability).
Thales was awarded for its RESM digital Sentinel which is a fully digital radar detector developed with the support of the DGA. This innovation, which was tested on the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, will equip the new French frigates.
As a sign of the popularity of the PERSEUS project, 10 companies were awarded the label at the 2024 edition. Among them, CAE and its Magnetic Anomaly Detector-Extended Role (MAD-XR). A compact system for conducting anti-submarine combat on board a helicopter. It will increase the operational performance of a submarine’s detection and classification.
PERSEUS Label: driving innovation in the French Navy
The PERSEUS label is a key driver of innovation within the French Navy, enabling it to respond to the growing challenges of modern maritime combat. By linking industry, the Navy and the DGA, this project promotes the development and rapid integration of advanced technologies. Through real-world tests, such as those carried out in the ORION23 and POLARIS exercises, innovations are directly tested and validated in operational environments, thus accelerating their development.
The success of the PERSEUS label is based on its ability to combine long-term arming programs with short-term technological innovation. By allowing manufacturers to test their technologies in real conditions, the Navy ensures that it remains at the forefront of technology while meeting its sailors’ immediate needs. The evolution of the project from 3 winners in the first edition to 10 in the second, testifies to the growing impact of this initiative that prepares the French Navy to face the technological and geopolitical challenges of tomorrow. Thus, the PERSEUS label is a real showcase for defence innovation, which, by strengthening collaboration between the industrial and military sectors.
