French Navy and DGA Evaluate Exail DriX O-16 USV in the Mediterranean

The evaluations focus on the Exail DriX O-16, an uncrewed surface vessel being tested in real Mediterranean conditions. The French armaments directorate, or DGA, and the French Navy are running the work under the naval drones Major Effect Program, launched in June 2026. The aim is to assess how the platform performs during demanding missions.

The vessel is conducting progressive endurance patrols lasting from five to more than 20 days. It is being used for anti-submarine warfare, surveillance and policing of fishing zones, and relocation of navigational hazards. Its missions use next-generation sensors designed for several environments.

The trials also go beyond testing one boat. They help the Navy develop procedures for coordinating several different unmanned systems, controlling them remotely, and integrating their information into operational decisions. The campaign is also connected to a French tender for embarked drones.

An uncrewed surface vessel, or USV, is a boat that travels and performs missions without a crew physically aboard. It can carry sensors and other equipment while people control it from a remote location. This allows the vessel to remain at sea for extended patrols while its operators stay ashore.

For the DriX O-16, Exail personnel pilot the vessel from the Operations Center in Toulon and from other mainland sites. They work under the direct supervision of the French Navy. The platform uses next-generation multi-environment sensors for missions such as anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance.

The article describes this arrangement as closely resembling a Contractor Owned–Contractor Operated model. Exail staff provide the direct piloting, while the Navy supervises operations and evaluates military performance. The trials are helping define how such remotely controlled vessels should fit into future naval operations.

The scale is notable because the Navy and DGA are testing endurance as well as individual missions. The DriX O-16 has already completed seven evaluation campaigns in the Mediterranean. Across those campaigns, it has accumulated 120 days at sea.

The patrols are progressive. Early or shorter deployments last five days, while later endurance patrols extend to more than 20 days. This pattern lets the teams examine the vessel through increasingly demanding periods of continuous operation, rather than relying on a brief demonstration.

The figures show that the program has moved beyond an initial trial. The platform is being exposed to sustained maritime conditions while performing concrete tasks, including anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance. The campaign is part of the naval drones Major Effect Program, launched in June 2026, and is linked to a tender for embarked drones.

The DriX O-16 is being tested as a flexible maritime tool, not just as a remotely controlled patrol boat. Its missions cover anti-submarine warfare, surveillance and policing of fishing zones, and the relocation of navigational hazards. These tasks connect military sensing with broader maritime security duties.

For ASW, the vessel uses underwater surveillance equipment, with likely payloads from Thales or Sercel. The article identifies Thales’s BlueSentry thin-line arrays and a Sercel thin-line array solution as possible equipment. For other tasks, the platform’s next-generation multi-environment sensors support observation and action at sea.

These missions show how one USV can contribute to different operational needs. The French Navy is testing the vessel in real conditions while also learning how to supervise it remotely. The results will help shape military requirements and future concepts for using multiple unmanned platforms together.

The trials are testing more than the DriX O-16 itself. They are helping the French Navy develop a concept of operations for heterogeneous unmanned systems. That means different kinds of unmanned platforms would need to work together inside one coordinated framework.

The key mechanism is simultaneous remote engagement. The Navy wants to define how several USVs can be controlled and coordinated at once, while their information is integrated into the operational decision-making cycle. The intended result is a robust, interoperable system rather than isolated drones operating separately.

This work could influence future naval procedures, equipment requirements, and command arrangements. The current campaign gives the Navy practical experience with remote operations and gives Exail feedback for improving the platform. It is also linked to France’s tender for new embarked, long-endurance USVs.

The arrangement separates hands-on vessel operation from military oversight. Exail personnel pilot the DriX O-16, while the French Navy supervises their actions directly. The operators work from the Operations Center in Toulon and from other mainland locations.

This resembles a Contractor Owned–Contractor Operated, or COCO, model because contractor staff operate the platform during the evaluation. The article describes the arrangement as closely mirroring COCO, while placing the activity under the Navy’s operational authority. It therefore combines industrial operation with military control.

The setup gives the Navy a way to test the vessel in realistic missions while retaining supervision over its employment. It also lets Exail receive direct feedback about military needs. The article does not state that this arrangement will become the permanent operating model, but it is being used during the current evaluation campaign.

Anti-submarine warfare, or ASW, is the effort to detect, monitor, and respond to submarines. A surface vessel can support ASW by carrying underwater sensors. These sensors listen for acoustic signals in the water, where sound can reveal a submarine’s presence and movement.

A thin-line sonar array is a long, narrow sensor system that can be towed or deployed from a vessel. Its hydrophones collect underwater sound from multiple points. Operators can analyze those signals to identify possible contacts, estimate their direction, and follow changes over time. The article identifies BlueSentry thin-line arrays and a Sercel thin-line array solution as likely payloads for the DriX O-16.

The article does not confirm the exact payload used on every patrol. It says the systems are likely provided by Thales or Sercel. The trials are testing how this sensing equipment and the USV can support ASW missions in real Mediterranean operations.