Exail Chooses to Pioneer the French Navy’s Next-Gen Ultra-Deepwater AUV for Unmatched Defense Innovation
The French procurement defense agency (DGA) is set to equip the French Navy with its inaugural sovereign ultradeep-sea exploration and monitoring capability and has selected Exail, a global frontrunner in robotics, to furnish a new AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) proficient at operating at depths reaching 6,000 meters.
Guaranteeing oversight of the seabed, as delineated in the France 2030 investment blueprint, has emerged as a significant challenge for French defense, particularly to ensure the nation’s sovereignty and operational freedom, as well as to safeguard its strategic and economic interests. This initiative comprises three pivotal elements: “to understand”, “to observe”, and “to engage”. In alignment with the capability enhancement framework defined in the Ministerial Strategy for Seabed Warfare ratified in 2022, the French Navy will enhance its exploration and intervention capabilities to a depth of 6,000 meters by acquiring underwater drones (AUVs) aimed at the first two elements and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for the third one.
Exail has been chosen to deliver this advanced AUV, designed to function at depths of up to 6,000 meters. This novel underwater drone is built upon the framework of Ulyx, the AUV collaboratively developed by Exail and Ifremer (French National Institute for Ocean Science and Technology). The latter conducted its initial dives to 6,000 meters in the autumn of 2023. Utilizing the technological foundations already established for Ulyx, this AUV exemplifies dual-use technology tailored to the specific requirements of the French Navy. It will perform reconnaissance and surveillance operations on the seabed, as well as monitor critical underwater infrastructure such as submarine cables.
“We are privileged to have been selected by the French government to create this innovative 6000-meter AUV, which will empower the French Navy to execute the strategy outlined by the Ministry of the Armed Forces. We take immense pride in this acknowledgment of our technological proficiency in seabed warfare and our role in reinforcing national sovereignty,” stated Jérome Bendell, Managing Director of Exail’s Maritime Systems Division.
The AUV, a result of over 40 years of Exail deep-sea expertise, will integrate various Exail-engineered and -manufactured components, including a Phins inertial navigation system and advanced acoustic sensors, while also being capable of accommodating sensors from other vendors to tailor the system to specific missions. The A6K-M AUV marks the debut of Exail’s A6K deep-sea AUV lineup.
