SEAair’s ARROW Transforms Naval Missions with a Stealthy, Autonomous High-Speed Surface Vessel
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At the SOFINS 2025 exhibition held at Camp de Souge near Bordeaux, the French company SEAair Solutions unveiled the ARROW vessel, a new-generation autonomous surface system designed for both military and civilian maritime missions. The project is based on a major innovation: the integration of retractable, autonomously controlled hydrofoils that allow the vessel to operate faster, over longer distances, and with significantly increased discretion.
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The ARROW (Autonomous Rapid Recognition Operation Warship) is intended for a wide range of maritime security and defense operations (Picture source: Army Recognition)
The ARROW (Autonomous Rapid Recognition Operation Warship) is intended for a wide range of maritime security and defense operations. It is suitable for missions such as surveillance, maritime security, search and rescue, electronic warfare deployment, and sea strike operations. The platform can support the rapid and discreet deployment of commandos over distances of up to 400 nautical miles. In its commercial version, ARROW is also adapted for tasks such as crew transfer to offshore wind farms or low-energy passenger transport, made more comfortable by its shock mitigation capabilities.
SEAair has developed a 20-meter platform equipped with hydrofoils, placing France among the leading countries in the field of next-generation naval vessels. The ARROW is derived from this larger concept as a more compact and agile 12-meter version, which can operate autonomously or with a crew, and uses the same core technologies. These vessels reach an average speed of 35 knots, with peaks up to 45 knots, offering both extended range and improved operational discretion. They can carry other unmanned systems (UxVs), payloads, or crew members.
The concept is based on the innovative use of retractable foils, enabling the vessel to rise above the water surface, which reduces fuel consumption by 50% and doubles the range. The small wake and aerodynamic lines contribute to the vessel’s stealth profile. When needed, the foils can retract to allow for conventional navigation. Propulsion is provided by electric pods, enabling low-noise approaches. According to SEAair, ARROW is the world’s first Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) equipped with foils.
The design presented at SOFINS depicts a vessel with discreet lines, capable of integrating modular weapon systems. SEAair’s promotional material highlights that this hydrofoil autonomous platform offers endurance, stability, persistence, and high speed, while being configurable with various mission payloads. The system is engineered to operate in contested environments with a high level of stealth and can be deployed for both sovereignty operations and special forces missions.
SEAair Solutions, based in Lorient, France, develops and manufactures the hydrofoils used on the ARROW, which can also be integrated into other existing naval platforms to improve range and reduce energy consumption. The ARROW project, combining speed, low observability, and modularity, reflects a broader trend in the proliferation of autonomous surface vehicles for hybrid applications across both military and civilian domains. This dual-use capability, along with performance optimizations enabled by the hydrofoils, positions SEAair as a key contributor to the ongoing transformation of future naval platforms.
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At the SOFINS 2025 exhibition held at Camp de Souge near Bordeaux, the French company SEAair Solutions unveiled the ARROW vessel, a new-generation autonomous surface system designed for both military and civilian maritime missions. The project is based on a major innovation: the integration of retractable, autonomously controlled hydrofoils that allow the vessel to operate faster, over longer distances, and with significantly increased discretion.
The ARROW (Autonomous Rapid Recognition Operation Warship) is intended for a wide range of maritime security and defense operations (Picture source: Army Recognition)
The ARROW (Autonomous Rapid Recognition Operation Warship) is intended for a wide range of maritime security and defense operations. It is suitable for missions such as surveillance, maritime security, search and rescue, electronic warfare deployment, and sea strike operations. The platform can support the rapid and discreet deployment of commandos over distances of up to 400 nautical miles. In its commercial version, ARROW is also adapted for tasks such as crew transfer to offshore wind farms or low-energy passenger transport, made more comfortable by its shock mitigation capabilities.
SEAair has developed a 20-meter platform equipped with hydrofoils, placing France among the leading countries in the field of next-generation naval vessels. The ARROW is derived from this larger concept as a more compact and agile 12-meter version, which can operate autonomously or with a crew, and uses the same core technologies. These vessels reach an average speed of 35 knots, with peaks up to 45 knots, offering both extended range and improved operational discretion. They can carry other unmanned systems (UxVs), payloads, or crew members.
The concept is based on the innovative use of retractable foils, enabling the vessel to rise above the water surface, which reduces fuel consumption by 50% and doubles the range. The small wake and aerodynamic lines contribute to the vessel’s stealth profile. When needed, the foils can retract to allow for conventional navigation. Propulsion is provided by electric pods, enabling low-noise approaches. According to SEAair, ARROW is the world’s first Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) equipped with foils.
The design presented at SOFINS depicts a vessel with discreet lines, capable of integrating modular weapon systems. SEAair’s promotional material highlights that this hydrofoil autonomous platform offers endurance, stability, persistence, and high speed, while being configurable with various mission payloads. The system is engineered to operate in contested environments with a high level of stealth and can be deployed for both sovereignty operations and special forces missions.
SEAair Solutions, based in Lorient, France, develops and manufactures the hydrofoils used on the ARROW, which can also be integrated into other existing naval platforms to improve range and reduce energy consumption. The ARROW project, combining speed, low observability, and modularity, reflects a broader trend in the proliferation of autonomous surface vehicles for hybrid applications across both military and civilian domains. This dual-use capability, along with performance optimizations enabled by the hydrofoils, positions SEAair as a key contributor to the ongoing transformation of future naval platforms.
