Exail USVs Set for U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Evaluations

French maritime autonomy company Exail is preparing two unmanned surface vessel evaluations for U.S. agencies: the DriX H-9 with the Navy's Office of Naval Research and the Oryx O-16 with the Coast Guard. The Navy plans to use DriX as a testbed for a third-party counter-drone payload, while the larger Oryx is intended to demonstrate long-endurance maritime surveillance and potentially an Atlantic crossing. The Oryx design can accommodate heavier sensor packages, including towed sonar equipment, and builds on Exail's previous naval experimentation. These are scheduled test and evaluation activities, not confirmed fleet purchases or proof of operational counter-UAS interception.