Exail has announced the signing of two new customer contracts for its DriX H-9 autonomous surface drone, highlighting increasing demand for unmanned systems in naval defense, counter-drone operations, and hydrographic surveying. The deals expand the platform’s operational footprint across military and civil maritime missions.
The first contract, awarded by an undisclosed navy’s innovation unit, will see the DriX H-9 integrated with a maritime-adapted counter-UAS system provided by a third-party partner. The capability allows the vessel to identify, track, and neutralize hostile aerial drones, extending protection beyond shore-based defenses and enabling offshore counter-drone coverage for naval and commercial assets.
A second contract was placed by the French Navy’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOM), representing its second acquisition of a DriX platform. SHOM will employ the unmanned vessel to improve seabed mapping, navigational safety, and maritime space management, benefiting from the platform’s long endurance and precision survey capabilities.
Designed for extended autonomous missions, the DriX H-9 is a 9-meter diesel-powered surface drone capable of operating for up to 20 days at sea and covering 2,000 nautical miles. Its modular payload architecture supports hydrography, infrastructure inspection, scientific research, and towed underwater systems. Managed through an advanced human-machine interface, the vessel provides real-time mission control and situational awareness, positioning Exail as a key supplier in the growing autonomous maritime systems market.
