KORTHOS / ECOSYSTEM / PRODUCT

DriX H-8

About

About DriX H-8

DriX H-8 is a 7.71-metre uncrewed surface vessel built around a narrow carbon-and-Kevlar composite hull. A 38-horsepower diesel engine drives the craft to 14 knots, while mission profiles extend from 24 hours at maximum speed to seven days at 7 knots or ten days at 4 knots. The vessel is designed for operation through sea state 5.

Survey instruments mount in a universal underwater gondola that can be exchanged in about three hours, allowing one vessel to support hydrographic, geophysical and environmental payloads. Surface sensors can be added for navigation and situational awareness. Missions run under supervised autonomy with line-of-sight or beyond-line-of-sight communications, and Exail reports more than 250,000 cumulative operating hours across DriX deployments.

Capabilities

Source-backed capabilities

  • Workflows: Autonomous Surface Vessel, Remote Survey USV, Autonomous surface vehicle, Marine data collection, Marine autonomy workflow, Maritime USV
  • ISR and tactical support

    Commercial deployment - 2025-06-30 - Exail won a European defense contract to supply five DriX H-8 uncrewed surface vessels for ISR missions. - environment: surface-vessel ISR

    Source
  • Marine survey and mapping

    Demonstrated - 2025-10-06 - Hydrographic surveys measured seabed depths of up to 200 metres during the trials.

    Source

Operations

  • Order / Commitment

    five DriX H-8 USVs - 2025-06-30 - European defense customer - surface-vessel ISR - Exail won a European defense contract to supply five DriX H-8 uncrewed surface vessels for ISR missions.

    Source

Supply

Supply / Components

  • DriX H-8 (ORLEN Petrobaltic configuration)

    Multibeam Echosounder - sensors - NORBIT - NORBIT B51S multibeam sonar was selected for Exail's DriX H-8 delivered to ORLEN Petrobaltic - source: exail.com

    Source

Timeline

  • Exail DriX H-8 Marlin completes Shom ship-based acceptance trials

    2025-09-24 - Demonstration - Launch and deployment from the hydrographic ship were validated to inform the design of next-generation hydrographic vessels. Hydrographic surveys measured seabed depths of up to 200 metres during the trials. The DriX navigation system combines AIS data with radar, lidar and infrared-camera inputs for operator-supervised autonomous collision avoidance.

    Source
  • Exail delivers DriX H-8 Marlin to Shom

    2025-09-02 - Commercial Order - Ten Shom employees completed two Exail supervisor-training sessions in La Ciotat in July. Hydrographers at Brest’s Atlantic hydrographic and oceanographic group will supervise autonomous navigation around the clock. Planned missions include seabed mapping, harbour-channel surveys and environmental studies along the Atlantic and Channel coasts.

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Context

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