The partnership between SIREHNA and Couach, signed on 23 April 2024, reflects Naval Group's ambition to provide the market with first-class USVs capable of meeting the requirements of collaborative combat and civilian operations.
With the creation of the DSA division in early 2023, Naval Group aims to provide navies with a comprehensive offering incorporating its own USVs and autonomous systems, as well as those of its subsidiary SIREHNA and partners. At a time when high-intensity conflicts are multiplying, Naval Group's objective is to increase the operational capacity of naval forces through innovative, proven and competitive solutions.
The partnership signed between SIREHNA and Couach, who have been working together since 2022, supports this ambition: ‘To position ourselves in the small surface UAV market, we are teaming up with the best partners,’ explains Patrick Pennamen, Managing Director of SIREHNA.
‘To position ourselves in the small unmanned surface vehicle market (S-USV), we are teaming up with the best partners'
Both partners have in-depth expertise in their respective fields. On one side, Sirehna brings 40 years' experience in the dynamics of naval platforms, including more than a decade in ship teleoperation technologies.
On the other, Couach brings its long-standing expertise in the design and construction of custom-built and production ships, both civil and military. Together, the French duo aims to offer combat-ready products that can be deployed quickly and are ultra-competitive.
This alliance completes a partnership approach initiated just over 18 months ago by the two partners to meet the time-to-market, a decisive criterion in this market.
A community of shared values
In addition to their complementary expertise, the partnership between SIREHNA and Couach reflects a shared set of values and is guided by the desire to provide effective solutions to complex problems.
On a day-to-day basis, the teams of the two partners deploy a pragmatic approach to meet the challenges that arise together. As Florent Battistella, Chairman and CEO of Couach, explains "The surface drone is an unmanned vessel. This has a major impact on the design, development and production of the carrier. The weight of the drone, in particular, is leading us to rethink our approach.
The shipyard has already set up an infrastructure and specific production units.
