Rapid UAV development: Daher and Thales fly EyePulse MALE drone in just 6 months
December 3, 2025
France has shown it can rapidly develop its own long-endurance military UAVs after Daher flew the EyePulse MALE demonstrator in under six months.
Developed with Daher as lead system architect and Thales supplying the avionics and remote-piloting infrastructure, EyePulse is built to prove that the domestic industry can respond far more quickly to emerging intelligence, surveillance and security requirements at home and abroad.
Daher leads rapid MALE drone development with autonomous first flight in Tarbes
The first flight took place at Daher’s facility in Tarbes, southern France, and marks the key milestone of a rapid programme awarded under a French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) call for proposals. France has been pushing industry to deliver capability in compressed timeframes and close the gap with established MALE drone manufacturers.
Daher acted as project architect, providing the platform, integration work and autonomous flight capability. The demonstration included a fully automated sequence, from remote activation through to autonomous landing.
Ground activation was performed by Alexandre Lahousse, Senior General Engineer of Armament and Deputy Director General of the DGA, who observed the test with defence ministry officials.
Daher said the programme demonstrates that its industrial teams can “act quickly and respond to the needs of defence stakeholders” by moving from concept to flight in months rather than years. The project also meets the DGA’s goal of rapidly reinforcing drone capability for France’s armed forces and potential export customers.
Thales ScaleFlyt architecture powers autonomous control and safe UAV airspace integration
Thales’ role focused on the remote-piloting and operational backbone. The company supplied its ScaleFlyt avionics suite, ground-control architecture and the command-and-control datalink.
ScaleFlyt enables automated flight while meeting supervisory requirements for situational awareness, command authority and safe integration into shared airspace. For the EyePulse flight, it supported the fully autonomous segment and provided ground-to-air monitoring with manual override available throughout.
For the DGA, the demonstration validated ScaleFlyt as a viable solution for safe UAV deployment in non-segregated airspace, an essential requirement for future military and homeland security missions.
EyePulse MALE demonstrator shows how France could field faster long-endurance drones
EyePulse sits in the Medium Altitude Long Endurance class occupied today by systems such as the MQ-9 Reaper and Heron TP. While Daher and Thales have not disclosed full performance details, the demonstrator is designed to validate the digital architecture, autonomous controls and system-integration pathways.
France remains reliant on imported platforms for most medium-altitude surveillance tasks, particularly on overseas missions. Export potential is a central objective of EyePulse, with Daher emphasising that the system must be competitive in international tenders.
Daher and Thales partnership accelerates system integration for next-gen French UAVs
The collaboration draws on both companies’ strengths. Daher provided the aircraft platform and acted as lead integrator, while Thales delivered the remote-piloting, mission-management and digital-control architecture.
Together, they demonstrated that a complex control system can be integrated into an existing platform and flown autonomously with minimal development and certification timelines.
Both companies say the demonstrator phase is only the starting point. EyePulse is positioned as a modular family of systems, where avionics, control architectures and payload options can be adapted for intelligence, surveillance and export missions.
France boosts industrial autonomy as demand grows for rapid unmanned-aircraft development
The EyePulse flight comes as Europe accelerates unmanned-aircraft development across multiple tiers. France has placed sovereignty and industrial autonomy at the heart of its defence planning, informed by recent operational lessons and rising demand for cost-effective surveillance.
The DGA has increased investment in programmes that leverage proven technologies, shorten development cycles and strengthen exportability. EyePulse aligns closely with this strategy, providing a functioning prototype prior to detailed design freeze or full-scale production.
Thales advances unmanned portfolio with UAS100 progress
The demonstrator also builds on parallel work by Thales. The company’s UAS100 long-range UAV recently achieved its first Design Verification Report from EASA, confirming that elements of the system meet regulatory requirements for future civil and government missions.
The UAS100 line includes endurance variants for infrastructure monitoring, maritime patrol and homeland-security surveillance, supported by the same ScaleFlyt digital-management platform.
The system integrates mission-planning tools, automated flight management, remote identification and anti-jamming technology to counter degraded GPS or hostile environments. Thales positions it as a lower-emission alternative to conventional helicopters for long-range operations.
Daher EyePulse validates France’s MALE drone ambitions
The rapid development of EyePulse, backed by autonomous flight and landing capability, is seen by industry officials as a strong signal that French manufacturers can now deliver unmanned systems fast enough to meet evolving military requirements.
For the Ministry of the Armed Forces and the DGA, the demonstrator satisfies three core aims: speed of development, strong industrial partnership and export potential.
Featured image: Daher
