William Molinié, edited by Romain Rouillard 06:23, October 05, 2022

Currently, France has no underwater vehicle to secure its cables buried more than 3,000 meters deep.

To remedy this, it will acquire drones and underwater robots with the ambition of descending to around 6,000 meters by 2025, as the Russians and Chinese are currently doing. 

1.3 million kilometers.

Here is the cumulative distance of the 450 submarine cables that connect the different continents.

A distance equivalent to three times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

These cable highways are particularly vulnerable buildings, especially for France which does not have the capacity to descend more than 2,000 meters deep, for lack of equipment.

It is therefore difficult for him to monitor his own network. 

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Especially since 80% of these cables are between 3,000 and 6,000 meters deep, which is why France is going to equip itself with drones and underwater robots.

The army thus aims to go down to 6,000 meters deep by 2025, as the Russians and the Chinese are doing.

A budget of 300 million euros

The trigger took place in 2019, when France launched a search to find the wreck of the French submarine Minerve, which disappeared 50 years ago off the coast of Toulon.

Unable to descend to 2,300 meters deep, the Ministry of the Armed Forces had to call on a private American company.

This electroshock, as confided by a source within the army, confirmed France's choice to acquire adequate equipment, like this underwater robot.

Once available, it will be connected by cable to a ship on the surface.

It will also be coupled with a drone capable of measuring, probing or even filming at abyssal depths.

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The budget allocated to this development is around 300 million euros.

A modest expenditure on a state scale but essential because beyond monitoring the seabed where the cables are located, there is also the issue of controlling the surface of the seas.

Especially since France has the second largest maritime area in the world, with more than 10 million km² spread over all the oceans.