Navies need cheaper ways to defeat drones, but can they sustain merchant protection?
Languedoc is the French Navy’s third FREMM frigate. (Photo: US Navy)
New interceptors and launchers could help navies preserve missile stocks during prolonged escort operations. Yet lower engagement costs will only improve merchant protection if the weapons are available where ships need defending.
On the night of 1–2 October 2026, the French frigate Languedoc used its gun to destroy an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) threatening CMA CGM Champs-Elysées at Bab el-Mandeb. Less than two weeks later, the cargo ship HS Dignity sank after a drone attack off Bulgaria, with 11 sailors reported missing. Together, the incidents put merchant protection at the centre of the counter-drone debate.
International Maritime Organization (IMO) records show how widely merchant shipping has become exposed to conflict. By 20 October, its incident list for the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East recorded 116 confirmed incidents and 24 seafarer
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