Exail has secured a contract to supply a fleet of five DriX H-8 uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) to an undisclosed European country. The versatile platforms will be primarily utilized for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.
Originally designed for hydrographic survey missions, the DriX H-8 supports various modular payloads, making it suitable for both shallow and deep-water data collection. The vessel’s architecture allows operators to integrate mission-specific sensors, enabling the acquisition of high-resolution data in diverse marine environments.
Although the French company has not disclosed further details of the agreement, the DriX H-8 boasts advanced features such as remote-controlled and supervised autonomous operation. The vessel is capable of withstanding harsh maritime conditions, performing reliably in sea state 5.
Performance-wise, the USV can operate at:
14 knots (26 km/h or 16 mph) for 24 hours
7 knots (13 km/h or 8 mph) for up to 7 days
4 knots (7.4 km/h or 4.6 mph) for extended missions of up to 10 days
The 7.71-meter (25.29 feet) vessel has a displacement of 1.4 tons (30,800 pounds) and a draft of 2 meters (6.56 feet). Powered by a 38-horsepower diesel engine, the platform includes a 250-liter (66-gallon) fuel tank and consumes just 2 liters (0.5 gallons) per hour, optimizing endurance for long-duration deployments.
