Newsroom
Unmanned surface vessels for defense
DriX series
Dominating the maritime battlespace, from the surface to the deep, is now a decisive factor for modern navies. While the undersea environment offers a strategic advantage for protecting critical infrastructure, its opacity facilitates covert threats. This demands resilient, autonomous systems capable of operating in GNSS-denied areas, integrated with coordinated surface surveillance to provide a complete operational picture.
Mature, mission-ready USVs for naval forces
The DriX Unmanned Surface Vessels (USV) series embodies this new generation of autonomous naval assets supporting Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Critical Maritime Infrastructure Protection (CMIP) and Military Hydrography. Already proven in both civilian and defense operations, DriX USVs deliver unmatched endurance, operational maturity, and multi-mission flexibility.
Operational capabilities: meeting the full spectrum of naval needs
The DriX USV has been extensively operated and deployed at sea, both by navies and civilian operators. Its design combines persistence, stealth, and flexibility, making it a force multiplier for modern naval operations.
- Operational maturity: in operation since 2017, with more than 1,000,000 Nm of navigation/operation.
- Operational maturity: Endurance at sea: Up to 30 days autonomy (DriX O-16 model), enabling long-term surveillance and patrol.
- Speed & agility: Excellent seakeeping performance, even in rough seas.
- Low signature: Minimal visual, radar, and acoustic detectability for stealth missions.
- Deployment flexibility: Launch and recovery from shore or vessel, with a dedicated L&R system ensuring safe and quick operations.
- Open architecture: Integration of diverse military payloads and sensors for mission-specific adaptability.
- GNSS-denied capability: Able to operate in environments without reliance on satellite navigation
- Multi-drone coordination: Functions as a surface relay or in direct support of subsea drones
drix USVs, MISSION ADAPTABILITY at core
The DriX USV has been designed to meet the diverse operational needs of modern navies. Its adaptability makes it a valuable asset across Maritime Domain Awareness missions.
Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR)
Persistent eyes on target
The DriX USV has been designed to meet the diverse operational needs of modern navies. Its adaptability makes it a valuable asset across Maritime Domain Awareness missions.
- Relay for subsea assets during multi-drone operations
- Detection and monitoring of surface or subsea vessels
- Long-endurance area surveillance and patrol
- Electro-Optical / Infrared (EO/IR) cameras
- Surface radar
- MBES
- FLS
- Embedded tethered UAV
- Electronic warfare R-ESM (Radar Electronic Support Measure*)
- C-UAS*
* for specific military payload, please contact us.
- Real-time data relay to command centers
- Autonomous mission planning and execution
- Sensor fusion for comprehensive situational awareness
- Secure communication and data encryption
- Integration with commons C3 with CATL 1.3
By combining these features, DriX enhances Maritime Domain Awareness by extending naval forces’ ISR capabilities, reducing the need for manned patrols, and ensuring a continuous and persistent presence at sea.
Critical Underwater Infrastructure Protection (CUIP)
Critical subsea and offshore infrastructures, cables, pipelines, energy platforms, and wind farms, are strategic assets that demand protection against intrusion, sabotage, or environmental threats.
DriX offers navies a persistent and flexible solution for infrastructure monitoring and defense.
- Anomaly and intrusion detection along cables and pipelines
- Surveillance of offshore energy platforms and wind farms
- Continuous monitoring and early warning of suspicious activities
- Rapid deployment to areas of interest for incident response
- Side Scan Sonar
- Sub-bottom profiler
- Magnetometers
- MBES
- EO/IR cameras and radar (for surface surveillance)
- ROV deployment
- AUV deployment
- Automated change detection over time
- Integration with command-and-control platforms
With its ability to operate autonomously for weeks, DriX provides permanent maritime presence, reinforcing deterrence and enabling navies to secure vital infrastructures 24/7.
Military Hydrography
Modern naval operations, from amphibious landings to submarine deployment, rely heavily on precise seabed knowledge. With years of proven performance in both civilian and defense domains, DriX brings unmatched maturity and reliability to military hydrographic surveys
- High resolution seabed mapping
- Tactical charting
- Rapid environment assessment
- Multibeam echosounderr
- Sub-bottom profiler
- O/IR cameras and radar (for surface surveillance
- Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)
- Automated survey line planning and execution
- Real-time and post-processed hydrographic data delivery
- Integration with naval hydrographic systems
Through its hydrographic capability, DriX enables navies to expand their operational knowledge of the maritime environment while minimizing risk to personnel.
DriX USVs, operational flexibility
The DriX family includes several models tailored to different endurance and payload needs. For defense applications, the DriX H-9 and DriX O-16 stands out with their respective capacity for 20 and 30 days of autonomous operation, ensuring unparalleled permanence at sea. All models benefit from the same modular design, open architecture, and ruggedized build, enabling navies to configure missions rapidly and adapt to emerging threats.
|
DriX H-8 Medium range USV |
DriX H-9 Long Range USV |
DriX O-16 Transoceanic range |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Length |
7.71m |
9 m |
15.75 m |
|
Displacement |
1.6 t |
2.1 t |
15.75 m |
|
Endurance* |
< 10 days |
< 20 days |
< 30 days |
|
Speed |
< 14 kts |
< 13 kts |
< 16 kts |
|
Fuel capacity |
250 L |
550 L |
2300 L (Dual hybrid propulsion) |
|
Range |
1,000 nm |
2,000 nm |
3,500 nm |
|
Towing / Deployment |
ROTV towing capabilities |
ROTV towing capabilities |
ROTVs, Inspection Class ROVs, 1,000 m rated AUVs |
|
Station keeping |
Hovering |
Hovering |
Dynamic Positioning |
|
MBES capacity |
3,000 m depth |
3,000 m depth |
Full ocean depth |
|
Transportation |
Launch & Recovery system |
1x 40' Cube Container |
2x 40' Cube Container |
|
Other |
Customizable stern section for additional payload integration |
||
| Get quote | Get quote | Get quote |
Proven at sea
Unlike experimental concepts, DriX is a mature, field-proven solution. It has already been operated by Task Force 59 (U.S. Navy) and more recently by Task Force X in the Baltic Sea. Both the French and Polish Navies also operate DriX units for military hydrography and naval exercises. Across these deployments, DriX has proven its value for missions such as :
- Seabed and surface surveillance and monitoring
- Intelligence collection
- Protection of sensitive maritime infrastructures
