The DGA signs an order for Syderal, an innovative anti-drone laser system. Background, technical ambitions, budget, and deployment schedule
The context of a strategic order
On August 22, 2025, the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) placed an order for a laser demonstrator called Syderal (New Generation Laser Defense System) with the consortium MBDA, Safran Electronics & Defense, Thales, and CILAS. This project is part of the 2024-2030 military programming law. The objective is to master a high-energy laser weapon for tactical anti-drone warfare, short-range air defense, and, ultimately, the neutralization of rockets, mortar shells, and guided munitions. An initial contract worth €10 million was awarded in 2024 to CILAS and Lumibird to develop combinable laser sources.
The context is clear: the French armed forces must equip themselves with reliable and sovereign capabilities in the face of the growing threat of drones by 2030. The Syderal order marks a decisive step towards this technological autonomy by targeting new air defense challenges.
The technological challenges of the Syderal project
The Syderal demonstrator aims to achieve a power output of several tens of kilowatts, combined with a scalable, modular, and compact architecture that can be used day and night. The main technologies involved are:
- the combination of laser beams to increase cumulative power;
- high-precision automatic video tracking, ensuring targeting of small, moving targets;
- adaptive optics to correct atmospheric distortions and maintain beam focus.
These innovations seek to surpass existing international capabilities by combining beams to concentrate power, automatically adapting the trajectory to the flight of targets, and using systems capable of correcting turbulence and optical dispersion.
Ambitions and deployment deadlines
Operational deployment is planned for 2030, in accordance with the military programming law. The demonstrator will serve as the basis for scalable versions capable of dealing with more complex threats, including missiles.
The schedule is divided into two phases:
- 2024: development of combinable laser sources with the €10 million Lumibird-CILAS contract.
- 2025-2030: completion of the Syderal demonstrator and its testing, with gradual deployment depending on the technical results.
Budget and industrial sovereignty
Ordering a demonstrator comes at a significant cost, even if this has not been publicly disclosed. The initial investment of €10 million demonstrates the budgetary commitment from the outset. The consortium brings together key players in the French sector: MBDA, Safran, Thales, and CILAS. This choice guarantees a sovereign solution, controlled throughout the technical cycle. The Syderal program is part of a strategy to relocalize strategic technologies in order to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and ensure sustainable industrial growth.
Intended uses
Syderal is designed to enable the targeted neutralization of tactical drones, rockets, mortar shells, and guided munitions. The use of a high-energy laser offers several advantages:
- very low cost per shot compared to cannon missiles;
- no need to store ammunition, which could compromise logistical security;
- silent neutralization without explosive fragmentation, which is useful in populated areas.
Ultimately, Syderal will pave the way for anti-missile capabilities by combining even more powerful laser beams in a scalable system. Its announced modularity will facilitate integration on different platforms (fixed installations, ships, vehicles).
Technical challenges to be overcome
Several technical challenges need to be addressed:
- beam turbo-combination: connecting several lasers without significant losses, while maintaining beam coherence;
- thermal management: dissipating the heat produced by tens of kilowatts in a confined space;
- stabilization on small, moving targets: via adaptive optics and video tracking, even in adverse weather conditions (rain, dust, turbulence);
- operational robustness: ensuring continuous operation, simple maintenance, and operation in different climates and environments.
Once these challenges have been addressed, the system will be able to move into a gradual ramp-up phase, with versions capable of engaging supersonic missiles in the future.
International comparison and positioning
France joins several countries that have already tested or deployed anti-drone laser systems:
- Israel with Iron Beam;
- the United States with operationally tested directed energy systems.
Syderal offers a chance to compete, thanks to a modular, compact, and sovereign solution. The development is a continuation of the HELMA-P experiment, which has already been tested and validated in real-world conditions (Paris 2024 Olympics, Forbin frigate, etc.), but is limited to a few kilowatts. Syderal represents a significant increase in power, targeting greater effectiveness against a broader spectrum of threats.
A reinforced strategic ambition
The Syderal order marks a strategic advance in French defense. It validates the relevance of directed energy weapons for the protection of bases, sensitive infrastructure, naval fleets, and urban centers. At a time when drones are multiplying at very low cost, a technology such as Syderal can offer an effective, economical, and rapid response.
The success of the Syderal demonstrator by 2030 will depend on the industrial capacity to master cutting-edge technologies and the consistency of testing and integration on operational platforms. The DGA is building on these foundations to develop a new generation of laser weapons adapted to modern threats.
Syderal marks the beginning of a new phase in combat without physical projectiles, simulating a glance. The weapon does not shoot, but mows down. And if light becomes the ammunition of tomorrow, France could well illuminate the future of defense.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.