Industrial company Exail has been awarded a defence contract to deliver five DriX H-8 uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) for an unnamed European nation.
This agreement represents a major step in the operational use of the standard version of DriX for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks.
The DriX H-8 USV, initially designed for hydrographic assignments, is a medium-range vessel capable of functioning in shallow and deep waters.
The USV caters to both civil and military objectives, accumulating more than 15,000 operational hours globally over the last three years, Exail said.
The platform gains trust from naval forces such as those of the US and France and has been a part of multinational exercises including Nato’s REPMUS or Task Force X drills.
According Exail, the DriX H-8 can navigate continuously for seven days at a speed of seven knots. At its maximum velocity of 14 knots, it can sustain operations for a full day.
The latest order from the European nation is the “largest order to date for Exail’s DriX platform”, said the company.
Exail said that the contract “reflects the growing adoption of uncrewed surface systems by naval and maritime security forces” and “underscores the shift towards integrating mature, autonomous platforms into modern ISR”.
Exail maritime systems business line head Jérôme Bendell said: “This contract highlights the growing strategic need for uncrewed maritime ISR capabilities, and we are proud that DriX has been selected to meet that challenge. It is also a recognition of DriX’s maturity, reliability and operational impact.”
Recently, the Indonesian Navy selected Exail to provide several USVs and mine identification and disposal systems, equipping the naval force with a comprehensive uncrewed mine countermeasures solution.
The Indonesian Navy’s agreement includes the procurement of four Inspector 90 USVs and accompanying Seascan and K-Ster mine identification and disposal systems.
These units will operate from two modern MCM vessels, KRI Pulau Fani and KRI Pulau Fanildo.
