The U010 Aliaca drone goes vertical

Following a trial period conducted in 2024 and 2025, the DGA (French Defence Procurement Agency) has placed an initial order for the VTOL version of the U010 Aliaca drone. This marks an essential step forward in enhancing the French Navy’s surveillance capabilities.

"In its initial version, the Aliaca launched at sea via a catapult and was recovered in a net. The French Navy first operated this system on an offshore patrol vessel back in 2019. The strong results achieved led Navy officials to extend its use to other vessels and order additional systems in 2020," explains Maxime Caille, Director of the U010 Aliaca programme at Airbus Helicopters.

Each system consists of two drones and a ground control station operated by two personnel, each equipped with a ruggedised laptop: one for flight control and the other for payload operations. A single operator could actually handle both flight control and payload simultaneously by partitioning the screen or toggling between displays. Take-off and landing are automated, and the entire mission can also be pre-programmed.

An extra eye in the sky for maritime surveillance

Deliveries of the additional systems began in 2022 to equip offshore patrol vessels, surveillance frigates, and the new overseas patrol vessels as they entered service. On these compact vessels, the U010 Aliaca has served as a set of remote binoculars, capable of seeing beyond the ship's radar horizon without needing to deploy a helicopter.

A spokesperson for the French Navy emphasises: "Both in mainland France and overseas, the U010 Aliaca is an invaluable tool for gathering real-time intelligence during maritime security and surveillance missions, as well as combating trafficking and illegal fishing." Among the advantages highlighted by operators, the U010 Aliaca stands out for its minimal logistical footprint and extremely low acoustic signature, enabling discrete overflights of suspicious vessels. Its excellent identification capability - powered by an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) day/night sensor turret with 30x optical zoom - is also widely praised. "Real-time video feeds streamed by the U010 Aliaca to the operations room facilitate precise vectoring of interception craft and make it possible to accurately evaluate target threat levels," Navy officials add. Notably, several aircraft are also operated from land for coastal surveillance and maritime approach security.

Highly satisfied with the U010 Aliaca as a tactical sensor, the Navy subsequently sought to deploy it on smaller host vessels, which required overcoming the logistical constraints of the catapult-and-net setup. This led to the development study of a vertical take-off and landing version.

"Vertical take-off and landing significantly expand how the drone can be deployed," Navy spokespeople confirm. "Pre-flight preparation takes just a few minutes, and the drone can also be launched in sea conditions that previously would have prevented a safe net recovery."

Beyond offshore patrol vessels, surveillance frigates, and overseas patrol vessels, the VTOL version of the U010 Aliaca will also equip even smaller combatants or support ships. It will offer unprecedented flexibility for land-based operations as well.

"Adding vertical take-off and landing capabilities to the existing drone is a genuine technical achievement. The VTOL variant features a new wing design and a modified fuselage, but it relies on the same core components, including the autopilot and data link. Autopilot design, ground station software, and data link and sensor integration are core areas of our expertise. We have complete mastery over our system, enabling us to adapt and evolve it very quickly," adds Maxime Caille.

Offering new operational possibilities

Trials conducted by CEPA (Naval Aviation Practical Trials and Acceptance Centre) were carried out from a BSAM (Metropolitan Support and Assistance Vessel), which was not originally intended to deploy drones. The vertical flight capability opened up new possibilities by allowing the Navy to expand drone deployment to vessels that were not initially envisioned for such operations. "The entry into service of the U010 Aliaca VTOL version targets a first group of secondary naval vessels," a French Navy spokesperson explained. "Deployment will begin on BSAMs in late 2026, followed by BSAOMs (Overseas Support and Assistance Vessels) during 2027."

The original order for the fixed-wing U010 Aliaca covered 34 systems, totaling 68 drones. Twenty-seven systems have already been delivered to the DGA, with the remaining seven scheduled for delivery before the end of the year. "The DGA was convinced by the vertical take-off version and asked us to deliver all seven remaining systems in this VTOL configuration," notes Maxime Caille.

Beyond technical and operational specs, the U010 Aliaca has contributed to the growing drone culture within the French Navy. Looking ahead, the focus is turning towards crewed-uncrewed teaming between helicopters and drones, such as the HTeaming solution offered by Airbus Helicopters. This capability was notably demonstrated in real-world conditions in early October during MDays, featuring a collaborative scenario between the U010 Aliaca, the U030 Flexrotor, and an H130 helicopter.

The U010 Aliaca: Lightweight but tough

Engineered to operate in the most demanding maritime environments, the U010 Aliaca combines robustness, versatility, and advanced technology. Featuring a maximum take-off weight of 25 kg, a wingspan of 3.6 m, and a length of 2.2 m, the U010 Aliaca comes with two propulsion options tailored to mission needs: a 100% electric version offering up to 3 hours of endurance and a 50 km data link range, and a hybrid version pushing these performance metrics to 6 hours of flight time and a 100 km operational radius.

Certified SAIL III under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) SORA methodology, it meets strict safety requirements. This qualification allows it to operate over populated areas, opening doors to numerous civil and public safety applications.

Frequently asked questions about the U010 Aliaca

What are the dimensions and key specifications of the U010 Aliaca? 

Engineered to operate in the most demanding maritime environments, the U010 Aliaca combines robustness, versatility, and advanced technology. It features a maximum take-off weight of 25 kg, a wingspan of 3.6 m, and a length of 2.2 m.

The U010 Aliaca meets SAIL III requirements under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) methodology. Meeting these strict safety requirements demonstrates a high level of operational reliability, enabling the drone to fly over moderate-density populated areas and opening doors to numerous civil and public safety applications.

What propulsion options and flight ranges are available for the U010 Aliaca? 

The U010 Aliaca comes with two propulsion options tailored to mission needs: a 100% electric version offering up to 3 hours of endurance and a 50 km data link range, and a hybrid version pushing these performance metrics to 6 hours of flight time and a 100 km operational radius.