Exail press release
Unveiled last March at Oceanology International in London, the DriX O-16 was first put to sea on Wednesday, May 29th in its home port of La Ciotat (South of France). After undergoing a first series of sea trials within the next couple of days, it was showcased in action to selected partners and customers on Wednesday, June 5th.
Twice the length and five times the displacement of the legacy DriX H-8, the latest addition to Exail’s USV product line, DriX O-16, is designed for long-duration operations of up to 30 days. It benefits from an autonomy of 3,500 nm and can deploy multiple payloads and subsea assets. Its larger size allows for a wide range of payloads, including Multibeam Echosounders (MBES), Sub-Bottom Profilers (SBP), and acoustic subsea positioning and communication systems (USBL). Additionally, the USV features a launch and recovery system to deploy Remotely Operated Towed Vehicles (ROTVs), inspection-class Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). The new transoceanic USV is particularly suited for full ocean depth scientific and hydrographic surveys, geophysical and UXO surveys, and subsea infrastructure inspections, which may require the deployment of multiple robots.
“We are very proud to have demonstrated to our clients, in such a short time, our capacity to deliver a new fully functional USV that meets the demand for larger capacity, endurance, and multi-mission capabilities, while maintaining high reliability and efficiency at sea. We are convinced that platforms such as DriX O-16 will support the marine industry’s transition to more reliable and efficient autonomous operations”.
Sébastien Grall, Director, Maritime Autonomy Solutions at Exail
– End –
About Exail DriX O-16 USV
The DriX USVs are able to conduct both remote-controlled and supervised autonomous operations. Within the latter, the USVs perform their missions by themselves while the pilot supervises the operations, either within or beyond visual range (Over The Horizon).
Relying on a multi-channels redundant communication system, the DriX USVs can support both Line Of Sight (LOS) or Over The Horizon (OTH) operations. This communication system includes:
- 4G
- Kongsberg Broadband Radio
- Silvus Network Radio
- WIFI
- Starlink Satellite
In full OTH mode, Exail USVs are able to select the best communication mode depending on the environment, while smartly managing the use of bandwidth to guarantee critical data priorities.
Specifications:
- Length: 15.75m
- Displacement: 10.5t
- Endurance: <30 days
- Speed: <16kts
- Fuel capacity: 2,300 L (dual hybrid propulsion)
- Range: 3,500 nm
- Communications: Wifi, 4G, Satellite communication, UHF radio
- Towel/launch&recovery: ROTVs, Inspection Class ROVs, 1,000 m rated AUVs
- Station keeping: Dynamic Positioning
- MBES capacity: Full ocean depth
- Transpostation: 2x 40’ High Cube container
- Customizable stern section for additional payload integration
