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Naval Group has been selected to maintain the French scientific vessel Beautemps-Beaupré in operational condition through 2034, with some equipment to be modernised. The contract covers annual technical stops in the first three years, then five optional stops from 2029 until the ship leaves active service.
Naval Group will hold a jobdating at its Lorient site on 17 November 2026 for hull and structure welders. The event is aimed at strengthening production teams and offers 35 positions, with applications open until 18 October 2026.
Naval Group will hold a jobdating event at its Lorient site on 2 November for the chaudronnier tôlier coque et structure trade. The yard says 35 jobs are available and candidates can apply until 18 October 2026.
Naval Group has cut steel on the first FDI frigate for the Royal Swedish Navy, the Luleå, at its Lorient yard. The ship is the first of four frigates ordered by Sweden on 31 August 2026, with delivery scheduled for 2030.
Naval Group laid the first stone on 29 September for its future centre of excellence at the historic Bormettes site in La Londe-les-Maures, in the Var. The site is due to open at the end of 2027 and will bring together the group’s drone, autonomous systems and underwater weapons activities.
Naval Group signed a contract in Stockholm on 31 August 2026 to supply four frigates of defence and intervention to the Swedish Royal Navy. The deal was signed with Sweden’s defence ministry and FMV, less than four months after Sweden selected the FDI, with first delivery due in 2030.
Naval Group has completed trials of the Telewelder teleoperated welding arm at Technocampus Ocean under the European Jarvis project. The system is designed to let welders work remotely through a virtual reality headset, with the yard saying it can reduce heat exposure by up to 70% while improving safety, time and weld quality.
The French Navy said its recruitment needs will rise 20% in 2026 compared with 2025 incorporations, including the new national service due to start in September 2026. It said 600 contracts are open this year for that scheme, while Naval Group said it recruited 4,500 people over the past three years.
Naval Group’s Cherbourg site and UIMM Grand Ouest Normandie launched a training route in June 2026 for formage-dressage, a metalworking trade used on submarine structures. Ten candidates will take three months of initial training before a 24-month alternance at the yard.
About 15 Naval Group employees joined Thales’s cortAIx teams from March to July 2026, and have worked full-time at Ollioules since early July. The work is focused on AI for naval systems, including collaborative combat, mission autonomy for drone swarms, logistics support and tactical situation modules.
Naval Group has teamed up with French SME Starnav to integrate the Magellan astro-inertial navigation system into its surface ships. The system is designed to calculate a vessel’s position by using stars and the sun when GPS or GNSS signals are lost or jammed, with sea trials planned for 2027.
Naval Group cut steel for the first SNLE 3G submarine at Cherbourg on 20 March 2024, starting construction of the class that will replace France’s Le Triomphant boats. The first boat, L’Invincible, is due to be launched in 2036 and delivered at the end of 2037.