Euronaval 2024 – Lacroix celebrates 100th Sylena and 14,000 SEACLADs, looking to 3rd generation ammunitions

Lacroix will begin 2025 with the 100th Sylena launcher to be installed on a new vessel while having surpassed the production and delivery of 14,000 SEA borne Countermeasures Lacroix Advanced Decoys (SEACLAD). The French countermeasures manufacturer is maintaining the edge against new threats with a third-generation family of ammunitions and advancing with offboard active decoy (OBAD) developments

A decade after the first Sylena mortar-based decoy launching system (DLS) became available for the protection of the first ship, Lacroix is looking to an expanding market where its Sylena DLS is making waves thanks to its flexibility and low footprint, alongside its family of SEACLADs, maintaining the edge thanks to continuous efforts in threats neutralization with a new generation of ammunitions alongside the use of unmanned vehicles and active payloads.

Exploiting its four decades of experience in the field of naval decoys, the French company is producing a full range of ammunitions covering the full spectrum of threats. The SEALEM radio frequency decoy which dispenses multiple passive corner reflector (CNR) payloads featuring a solid frame with a precise geometry, is effective against existing and new generation threats, including chaff discriminator seekers; the centroid seduction ammunition provides ship-like bright point generation and radar cross section fluctuation to challenge advanced missiles’ counter-countermeasures. Together with cross-polar coherence and credible spatial distribution, the CNR decoy provides broadband response against I-, J- and -Ka-band seekers. An effective ship protection requires the deployment of different decoys in the threats approach direction, with latest high speed missile threats being countered also with fast reaction and the capability to adjust the altitude deployment to the engagement scenarios. When the treat comes from dual-mode seekers missiles, these are confronted using SEALEMs in conjunction with Lacroix SEALIR single-burst morphologic imaging infrared decoys. The latter are effective against traditional, two-colour and imaging IR seekers while the SEAMOSC decoy provides masking and screening capabilities against EO and laser guided threats, thanks to laser beam back-scattering effects.

Lacroix has recently unveiled to be working on a next generation family of decoys. The company did not release any detail, but these products could be ready in the 2026-2027 timeframe according to Sebastien Gehin, head of programme for systems at Lacroix, but this will depend on on-going development and qualification activities and launch customer. The company is also working on off-board active decoy technology, having developed a solution under the innovative VESTA (Véhicule Ejecté Support Tactique d’Autoprotection) research study awarded by the French Innovation Defence Agency and DGA, where the mixing of a pyrotechnic booster with dexterous UAV and an advanced active payload by Thales provides the end-user with immediate reaction, unrivalled operational manoeuvrability and effectiveness against next generation missile threats, according to Renaud Thetiot, Marketing and Sales at Lacroix. “We are expecting big moves in this area in 2025,” he underlined. Lacroix is also looking at synergies with the same group’s Milton company, specialized in unmanned systems development and customization, to develop solutions exploiting its experience for advanced vessel protection.

These and anti-torpedo decoys, namely the Naval Group CANTO, are effectively deployed by the Lacroix family of Sylena DLSs, which has so far accumulated, among in-service and to be equipped, nearly 40 platforms of different classes of ships with eight Naval Forces. Alongside the Royal Navy of Oman as the Sylena launch operator, other identified customers by EDR On-Line being the Naval Forces of Egypt, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Greece and more recently Angola, the latter on board the BR71 Mk II corvettes by CMN Naval being built in France for the Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) company, part of EDGE, which won a € 1 billion contract to deliver a fleet of vessels to the Angolan Navy.

Conceived as a low-cost, easy-to-integrate and low-foot print shipborne soft-kill system, comprising a number of fixed angle mortar launchers above deck, the Sylena DLS family comes in three different models: the Sylena lightweight (LW) with 300 (width)x1300 (depth) mm space occupation and 150 kg mass with decoys, capable to accommodate eight 60 mm SEALEM 80-01 RF and two 60 mm SEALIR 08-01 IR rounds; the Sylena Mk1 with a 750×1500 mm footprint and 300 kg mass with twelve 80 mm SEALEM 08-02 RF and four SEALIR 08-01 rounds while the Sylena Mk2 differs for the addition of three Naval Group anti-torpedo CANTO ammunitions without launcher footprint modifications. Lacroix is also working on the smaller SEAMOSC launcher and ammunitions including 80 mm 08-01 (one payload) and 08-02 (3 payloads) rounds to effectively mask platforms against EO and laser threats.

The Sylena LW provides the protection of patrol and offshore patrol vessels (OPV) of which 13 platforms are already equipped or under procurement. Interestingly, during the Euronaval 2024 exhibition, the model of Intermarine’s new generation mine countermeasures vessel design, which was recently procured by the Italian Navy, was shown equipped with Sylena DLSs. Although Lacroix and Intermarine did not comment about a potential procurement interest by the Italian Navy. The flexibility and low footprint of the Sylena DLS installation allow platforms working in the littoral warfare to be protected against multiple threats.

The Sylena Mk1 and Mk2 have been however conceived for the protection of larger platforms, including corvettes (17 units already equipped or under procurement), frigates (8 vessels) and a Landing Platform Dock (LPD). Among the latest, the FDI lightweight frigates for the Hellenic Navy are fitted with four fixed Sylena Mk1 launchers, which first ship set has already been delivered for integration. Lacroix is also in discussion with the French Navy, promoting the Sylena DLS for the same type of vessels, expecting the funding of a decoy launcher suite for its Amiral Ronarc’h-class frigates. Both the Sylena Mk1 and Mk2 launchers in a mixed configuration (four plus two respectively) are being provided to the undisclosed customer LPD, the largest vessel so far equipped with Lacroix DLS. EDR On-Line has identified the LPD as being the Al Fulk platform under delivery by Fincantieri to the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces, this service already using the Sylena on its newest combatant patrol and corvettes delivered by the Italian shipbuilder.

Although the families of Sylena DLS and ammunition hasn’t registered so far a technical issue compromising operational activity, according to Lacroix representative, to fully support the customer in the complete product life cycle, Lacroix Defence has introduced the serialization of each ammunition with a QR and barcode which can be monitored through the whole cycle ashore and onboard with tablets and dedicated maintenance test benches, preventing technical issues and allowing highest reliability.

Images and photos courtesy Lacroix and L. Peruzzi