Following a 7-month competitive bidding process, the French Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (Shom) placed an order at the end of December for a new autonomous underwater micro-drone (µAUV), the NemoSens model, manufactured by the French company RTsys. This order is part of the transformation plan for hydrographic and oceanographic data acquisition methods launched by Shom in 2024.
SHOM 4.0 AT THE SERVICE OF OCEAN KNOWLEDGE
Meeting civilian and military needs for certified and relevant information to support increasingly rapid decisionmaking, across expanded areas of interest and even in the deep sea; This is the objective pursued today by the French Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (Shom) in a rapidly changing geopolitical and environmental context.
The use of the latest generation of drones—underwater, surface, and aerial—and the replacement of the French Navy's three coastal hydrographic vessels with two new-generation hydrographic vessels (BHNG), equipped not only with drone capabilities but also with comprehensive data collection capabilities from coastal areas to the abyssal seabed, will contribute to accelerating the production cycle of data and services.
THE NEMOSENS, THE FIRST AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER MICRO-DRONE FOR SHOM
The first autonomous underwater micro-drone ordered by Shom, NemoSens®, rapidly deployable and manufactured by the French company RTsys, will be delivered in the first half of 2026. This new acquisition system, equipped with a single-frequency side-scan sonar and a magnetometer, aims to improve highresolution knowledge of the continental shelf seabed (down to 200 meters), a strategic area with significant civilian and military implications. The objective is to have a lightweight, easily deployable and recoverable system capable of meeting diverse needs for the benefit of the armed forces, marine public policy, and ocean protection. It will offer agile intervention capabilities, adapted to the operational constraints of the continental shelf and complementary to those of the deep-sea autonomous underwater drone. With this acquisition, the French Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (Shom) reinforces its central role in describing the marine physical environment and in supporting national strategies for knowledge, sovereignty, and control of the seabed.
NemoSens® is a micro autonomous underwater vehicle (µAUV) designed for scientific, industrial, and defense applications. Compact (less than one meter) and lightweight (less than 10 kg), its various payload configurations allow for great flexibility and maximum usability. NemoSens® incorporates the latest hardware and software updates from the RTsys product line, making this micro AUV the most powerful of its generation. NemoSens® is composed of four sections: a removable nose with onboard connectors for integrating different payloads; a central section including a multifunction mast (GNSS antenna, Wi-Fi antenna, UHF communication, flasher) as well as onboard sensors such as a 900 kHz Side Scan Sonar, an acoustic transducer for real-time tracking from the surface, and various internal sensors; the battery section; and finally, a rear propulsion section allowing it to reach speeds of 2 to 6 knots depending on the configuration. Due to its versatility, the use cases of NemoSens® are very varied, ranging from 2 to 300m depth, for coastal mapping needs, diagnosis and monitoring of submarine cables, pipelines, and port structures, detection of suspicious objects (UXO, underwater mines) and reconnaissance/securing of areas, or even water quality measurements and monitoring of biological studies.
PRESS CONTACT
Shom – Sandrine LOCCI, head of the communications division
sandrine.locci@shom.fr
RTsys – Karoll Audibert
About SHOM
Shom, the French national hydrographic and oceanographic service, provides physical knowledge of the ocean. It measures and describes sea levels, currents, marine sediments, swells, sea temperature, salinity, underwater noise, seabed topography, magnetic fields, and more, and forecasts their evolution. Its internationally recognized expertise informs the decisions of sea users and stakeholders in the maritime sector. Its products and services meet the needs of the armed forces, ensure the safety of mariners, guide public policies related to the sea and the coastline, support the development of the blue economy, and contribute to the preservation of the marine environment.
More information at shom.fr
About RTsys
RTsys Group is a key player in marine innovation, bringing together unique expertise in underwater acoustics, autonomous robotics, marine electromagnetism, and advanced ocean data analysis. We support our partners worldwide—industrial companies, institutions, research laboratories, and defense contractors—through a comprehensive offering ranging from the design of customized solutions to operational deployment at sea. RTsys works to enhance the understanding of the seabed and critical environments, thereby contributing to their protection.
Our commitments are reflected in our continuous investment in R&D, recognized technical excellence, strong professional ethics, and a dedication to creating a positive impact on marine ecosystems.
www.rtsys.eu