Abu Dhabi's TII and France's Naval Group Agree to Explore Joint Underwater Drones

The two organisations signed the agreement on November 3 at the Euronaval defence exhibition in Paris, according to a press release they issued on November 5. TII is the applied-research arm of Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council.

The agreement is a framework, not a contract. It sets out two lines of work: autonomous systems for persistent maritime surveillance and underwater reconnaissance in non-contested waters, and combat uncrewed underwater vehicles for operations in contested waters. The companies said the work is also meant to build autonomous underwater capability in the UAE and to deepen cooperation with France's naval industry. They did not disclose any financial terms or timelines for joint products.

Each side brings a different strength, according to the release. TII has developed an extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle, known as an XLUUV, while Naval Group brings experience in uncrewed combat systems. TII describes the XLUUV as a 5.5-metre modular platform that fits inside a standard 20-foot shipping container and has a reconfigurable mission section, Baird Maritime reported. Initial sea trials are scheduled for December 2026.

In the release, Aurore Neuschwander, Naval Group's executive vice president for drones, autonomous and underwater weapons systems, said the partnership reflected a shared ambition to "foster innovation and develop cutting-edge autonomous underwater capabilities". Najwa Aaraj, TII's chief executive, said the collaboration would combine research and naval engineering to take the technology "from laboratory capability to deployed system".

Naval Group, which is majority owned by the French state, is building its own uncrewed systems at home. On the day of the TII signing, France's defence procurement and innovation agencies signed a contract with Naval Group to begin producing an Unmanned Combat Underwater Vehicle demonstrator for the French Navy. That programme is separate from the TII agreement.

TII is also working with UAE industry on maritime autonomy. In September 2025 it signed a collaboration agreement with Abu Dhabi Ship Building covering areas including unmanned underwater systems. The Naval Group agreement adds a European prime contractor to that effort, at a time when mine threats and attacks on shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz have made underwater surveillance an urgent concern for Gulf states.

The next concrete milestone is the XLUUV's first sea trials in December.