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Lacroix Debuts VESTA Off-board Decoy Concept

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PARIS/ KUALA LUMPUR: French pyrotechnic experts, Lacroix Defense has unveiled a new technology to ensure multi-layered protection for naval vessels at EURONAVAL. VESTA, which stands for Versatile EW Self-Protection Tactic Onboard Unmanned Aircraft, which is an active off-board decoy system.

The programme came about when the newly established French Agency for Defence Innovation called for a proposal to study the development of a new-generation active off-board decoy, as a complement to passive decoys. Lacroix Defense is one of the few companies that answered this call, giving birth to VESTA.   

While still at the concept stage, the main idea of VESTA, which is meant to be embedded on the UAV is to add another layer around the ship to address the threat from missiles, thus maximising the protection of the ship. The system is deployed in close vicinity to the ship to address the threat from latest missile technology.  

The VESTA project is an essential component of the company’s vision of self -protection, based on a comprehensive approach, allowing multi-layered and multi-threat protection mixing hard kill, off-board active and passive decoys, and anti-torpedoes solutions.

“VESTA provides naval forces a three-layer protection, that is anti-torpedo, anti-missile with the SEALEM and SEALIR, and also a new layer which is the active protection layer, Jean-Marie Pascal, Lacroix Defense’s Deputy Director, Indo-Pacific told ADJ.

 “We aim to increase our speed to come out with new technology by showing our capability in the next decade with the active off-board decoy system joining the SYLENA family. Therefore, Lacroix will provide the complete solution with existing, emerging future threats,” Pascal said.

The idea is offer naval forces a customisable launcher able to deploy the entire range of decoys which consists of SEALIR, SEALEM, anti-torpedo, and VESTA.

This launcher could be named SYLENA Mk+ and would provide surface vessels with needed protection across three layers. shp/aaa/iz (PHOTO: Lacroix Defense)