Based on Daher’s TBM turboprop aircraft and equipped with avionics and control systems by Thales, EyePulse was presented to the French Directorate General of Armaments.
French aerospace company Daher announced on Dec. 2, 2025 the completion of a flight demonstration of its EyePulse MALE (Medium-Altitude Long Endurance) uncrewed aerial system. The proof-of-concept flight demonstration took place on Nov. 27 at the company’s facility in Tarbes, in France, with the system presented to France’s Directorate General of Armaments (DGA).
EyePulse was developed within six months in partnership with Thales, following a call for projects by the DGA to rapidly strengthen drone capabilities. The milestone confirmed Daher Group’s “ability to act quickly and respond to the needs of defense stakeholders,” said the company.
According to AviationWeek, Daher conducted six flights with EyePulse before the presentation to DGA officials. Also, Daher Aircraft CEO Nicolas Chabbert emphasized the presentation took place less than six months after the signing ceremony, even though DGA gave participants 18 months.
“By developing a MALE drone demonstrator prototype in less than six months – in partnership with Thales – Daher has fulfilled its commitments and confirmed its ability to meet the DGA’s objective of rapidly strengthening drone capabilities for the French armed forces and for export,” said the company in its press release.
↪️ La DGA accélère le développement des drones MALE dans la continuité de la Convention signée avec @DAHER_official au @parisairshow 2025 pour notamment
➡️ favoriser l’émulation entre des industriels complémentaires
➡️ soutenir la réalisation de démonstrateurs pic.twitter.com/gWaAJCsKV4
— Direction générale de l’armement 🇫🇷 (@DGA) December 2, 2025
France’s DGA further said that the demonstration flight followed the agreement signed during this year’s edition of the Paris Air Show. The goal was to “promote emulation among complementary industrial players” and “support the realization of demonstrators.”
EyePulse
The EyePulse is based on Daher’s TBM turboprop aircraft which, according to AviationWeek, was modified in response to the DGA’s RFP (Request for Proposal) for the MALE drone demonstration. The RFP intends to evaluate existing industry products and capabilities, possibly informing future final procurement plans and configurations.
Daher was selected in June, along with four more companies – Aura Aero, Fly-R, SE Aviation and Turgis Gaillard. Daher explained that Thales supplied its proprietary SkyFlyt avionics system, together with the requisite data link and ground control station.
For safety reasons, two pilots present onboard during the demonstration to the DGA. Alexandre Lahousse, Senior General Engineer of Armament – Exceptional Class (IGCEA), who is the DGA’s Deputy Director General was at Daher’s facility, accompanied by a DGA delegation.
Once airborne, Lahousse activated the autonomous phase of the flight without man-in-the-loop control. Aviation Week further reported that an electro-optical turret was locked onto a fixed ground target, and the autonomous flight included automatic cruise flight, descent, approach and landing.
Following touch down on the runway, the human crew took control again to taxi the aircraft and clear the runway, Chabbert said.
🚀@DAHER_official successfully completed the first flight of EyePulse, its MALE drone prototype !
Goal: strengthen the @Armee_de_lair French Armed Forces’ drone capabilities.
👉Integration of @thalesgroup‘s ScaleFlyt technology
📢More info here: https://t.co/cGjPqEGxk3 @DGA pic.twitter.com/z8qxEH49Et
— Daher (@DAHER_official) December 2, 2025
The autonomous/semi-autonomous capability is vital in a heavy electronic warfare and jamming scenario, where radio or satellite control signals are highly vulnerable. Attritable UAVs on existing platforms that can be mass produced offer cheap and safe capabilities ranging from persistent ISR, communications relay, early warning and even targeting information on hostile enemy assets.
In its final configuration for the military MALE ISR drone, the TBM aircraft can be equipped with longer wings offering greater lift and higher cruise altitude, while the passenger seats could be removed to install additional fuel tanks and provide greater range. For a STOL (Short Take-Off Landing) capability and greater payload, Daher could pitch its Kodiak utility aircraft, and the company can work with other flight control and UAV technology suppliers, beside Thales, depending on the capabilities required.
According to DefenseNews, the original DGA contract signed in July, on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show, was motivated by the need for a “low-cost solution to plug a capability gap in unmanned aerial surveillance and light attack.” “These initiatives are part of an effort to adapt military capabilities to meet evolving threats,” the DGA said in a statement, adding that the drones “play an essential role in modern conflict zones.”
The agreements mark “a decisive step in accelerating the MALE drone strategy of the Armed Forces Ministry,” the DGA statement reads. “They will make it possible to create the best operational solution while respecting time and cost constraints.”
‘Ready platform and reliable technology’
“Based on certified and proven technologies in the civil sector, this flight illustrates Daher’s experience, agility, and the efficiency of its industrial capabilities,” Daher’s statement explained. “The Group leveraged its aircraft manufacturing know-how – as well as its civil aviation competencies, approvals, and authorizations – to develop EyePulse. Daher’s Tarbes-based Fly’in technology center applied its capabilities in rapid prototyping, engineering, artificial intelligence and embedded systems testing to achieve the rapid integration of Thales technology into the MALE demonstrator.”
With its modular design and interoperable technologies, the EyePulse drone will be able to evolve in meeting the needs of armed forces and adapt to different specifications, while aligning with continuously evolving operational doctrines.
According to Nicolas Chabbert, CEO of the Daher Group’s Daher Aircraft division, Daher leveraged its experience of over 30 years as a partner of the French Armed Forces and innovation in “dual-use industrial” technology and expertise “to fully contribute to the transformation of France’s defense capabilities.”
“We are mobilizing our skills and resources to prepare for the series production of drones. This EyePulse flight demonstration confirms the relevance of our approach and our ability to scale up production,” Chabbert added.
