BREST, France – The French Navy has ordered an autonomous underwater vehicle from Exail that will monitor critical infrastructure at depths of up to 6,000 meters, the company announced.
The new drone’s architecture will be based on the company’s Ulyx, a vehicle co-developed with Ifremer, the National Institute for Ocean Science and Technology. The platform will be used primarily to conduct seabed reconnaissance operations, covering sensitive infrastructure such as submarine cables, many of which lie at depths of 6,000 meters.
Ensuring the protection of these assets has proven increasingly difficult, even for large navies. NATO officials have warned that Russia could target undersea cables to disrupt Western activities.
A number of countries have closely followed the development of Moscow’s submarine fleet, as it has the ability to cut cables on the ocean floor.
During a media visit to the French Navy’s FREMM Normandie frigate, hosted here ahead of next month’s Euronaval fair in Paris, officers addressed the increased activity seen in recent years in the waters surrounding Brest Naval Base , where the ship was stationed.
According to French media, last December two French frigates, the Normandie and the Auvergne, closely followed a Russian submarine that was passing off the coast of the city of Brittany.
The transit route is one that Russian submarines have reportedly taken in recent months to reach areas near Ireland.
France has identified protecting its sovereignty over the seabed as a top priority in France’s 2030 investment plan.
As part of the capacity building process set out in the Ministerial Strategy for Seabed Warfare, adopted in 2022, the French Navy will acquire both autonomous and remotely piloted submarine vehicles
For the latter category, officials selected French supplier Travocean with its DeepSea vehicle.
The new underwater drone will feature several French-made components designed by Exail, including acoustic sensors and the Phins inertial navigation system.
An Exail representative declined to say when the AUV would be delivered, saying only that it would be before 2030.