LA CIOTAT, France — Exail unmanned surface vessels will soon take part in various test and evaluation campaigns in the United States. A DriX H-9 USV will be used by the U.S. Navy as a testbed for an unspecified counter-drone system while an Oryx O-16 USV will be evaluated by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Naval News learned these new details earlier this month while visiting the Exail facility in La Ciotat in Southern France as part of the Euronaval 2026 press trip. A company representative confirmed that a DriX H-9 USV will be transferred to the Office of Naval Research via a third party which will integrate the counter-UAS payload. According to a company factsheet, this variant of Exail’s drone series prioritizes payload flexibility and extended endurance for long-term operations. The contract was initially announced earlier this year.
The U.S. Navy’s utilization of the French drone firm’s systems builds upon previous military demonstrations and operations within the U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59 in the Middle East and the 4th Fleet’s Caribbean area of operations. Exail highlighted that a DriX USV spent 90 days at sea conducting maritime domain awareness missions for the U.S. 4th Fleet, which has been at the forefront of counternarcotics missions in the Gulf of Mexico. The DriX has also participated in French Navy drills and NATO’s Task Force X. The new Oryx series, derived from the civilian DriX design, was just revealed by Exail.
Naval News also understands that Exail plans to sail an Oryx O-16 trans-oceanic USV across the Atlantic to the U.S. to demonstrate its expeditionary potential and endurance. The Oryx series aims to cover a sensor gap that may arise for overstretched naval forces attempting to cover large stretches of water, or a force contending with a high-intensity A2/AD environment.
The U.S. Coast Guard – which recently stood up a new drone procurement office and operating doctrine – is interested in the system. Company officials claim that Exail can deliver models of Oryx to customers within 12-18 months of the initial order. The Oryx O-16 is intended for long-duration offshore operations, persistent surveillance and anti-submarine warfare. It can carry heavy mission payloads, including towed sonars and equipment for underwater assets. Exail previously sailed a commercial DriX O-16 USV from France to Portugal, without interruption or refueling, to take part in NATO exercise REPMUS 2025.
The firm’s production capabilities in Southern France are scaling. This includes a plan to open a second production facility dedicated to USV assembly.
Amid a recent surge of unmanned surface and aerial vehicle swarm threats against its warships, the U.S. Navy has invested in developing and procuring systems designed to detect and down drones. Service leaders also eye USVs as a key maritime domain awareness tool for traditional warships. Last week, the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group deployed with a medium unmanned surface vessel that commanders praised for its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance collection capabilities.
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