The design is based on the American LCM-8-class landing craft and were initially ordered to support France's nuclear testing in the Pacific.

The second batch consisting of 17 vessels is split, with some being transferred to other nations and some remaining in service with the French Navy.

The ships carry 3.4 tonnes (3.3 long tons) of fuel and have a range of 380 nautical miles (700 km; 440 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).

[4][5] The landing craft have capacity for 90 tonnes (89 long tons) of cargo and room for 200 personnel.

[4][5] Several vessels have since been transferred to navies around the world, including Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Chile and Brazil while others have been cannibalised for spare parts.

The vessels have a payload capacity of 65 to 80 tonnes at a maximum speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) (at full load).

The first two EDA-S vessels (Arbalète and Arquebuse) were delivered to the navy in November 2021[30][31] and entered service in July 2022.