Exail has confirmed the first sale of its DriX H-9 Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) to a European client for use in civil offshore infrastructure survey operations.
The vessel is equipped with a comprehensive geophysical sensor suite, including a Multibeam Echosounder (MBES), Side Scan Sonar (SSS), Sub-Bottom Profiler (SBP), and a magnetometer. These integrated technologies allow the platform to conduct complex data collection tasks while significantly lowering operational costs and environmental impact compared to traditional crewed vessels.
The DriX series, which includes the H-8, H-9, and O-16 models, is designed to meet the growing demand for precision and efficiency in the offshore market. Each platform provides varying levels of endurance and payload capacity, allowing operators to tailor the technology to specific mission profiles. The H-9 model is specifically engineered for over-the-horizon missions, capable of maintaining operations for up to 20 days at sea.
Olivier Cervantes, VP Maritime Autonomy Solutions, commented, “Our approach to better serve offshore customer requirements by offering a range of USVs with various endurance and payload capacities is clearly gaining momentum. With the DriX H-9, clients can operate over the horizon with up to 20 days of endurance while deploying a complete geophysical spread including MBES, SSS, SBP and magnetometer. We are delighted to see our client acting as a pioneer survey company in Europe by leveraging this capability.”
As a specialist in marine robotics, Exail developed the DriX H-9 to bridge the gap between small-scale coastal drones and larger offshore survey ships. The sale marks a milestone for the company’s maritime autonomy division as European survey firms begin to adopt autonomous long-endurance platforms for large-scale infrastructure projects.
