French maritime robotics company Exail has been selected for the construction and delivery of a new deep-diving autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for the French Navy.
The AUV will be capable of operating at depths of up to 6,000 metres for underwater investigation and intervention missions.
The acquisition of the AUV is part of a broader seabed warfare initiative that will also entail the procurement of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for missions such as mine disposal. AUVs will be used for detection and identification of hostile underwater mines while the ROVs will be equipped for safe disposal of explosives.
The Exail AUV will also carry out reconnaissance and surveillance missions on the seabed, as well as on sensitive underwater infrastructures such as submarine cables.
The craft will incorporate a number of Exail-designed and -manufactured components, including an inertial navigation system and acoustic sensors, but will also be able to carry sensors from other suppliers in order to adapt the system to the missions to hand.