Exail, formerly iXblue, recently took part in the Digital Horizon Unmanned & Artificial Intelligence Exercise in Bahrain, organized by the US Navy. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet held the three-week exercise in December to test new unmanned technologies, as part of its plans to establish the world’s first Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) fleet of one hundred drones in the Gulf by the end of the summer.

I am pleased to invite you to Exail (formerly iXblue and ECA Group) Annual Maritime Users Conference. It will be held at the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh (Scotland, UK) on January 25th, 2023. This one-day conference will focus on the exploration of new maritime frontiers. It will bring together over 100 key players in the maritime industry such as hydrographic institutes, universities, port authorities, survey and dredging companies, as well as offshore construction contractors.

Lloyd’s Register, a leading marine classification society, has awarded its first certification for an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) to the DriX maritime drone. Developed by Exail, a global high-tech company and pioneer in the field of maritime autonomy, the DriX USV is operated by major hydrographic institutes and energy companies worldwide and has already received Bureau Veritas Approval in Principle (AiP).

Throughout the 20th century, the marine environment has been under attack, and the assailant has been us. Overfishing, pollution, habitat loss, biodiversity decline, ocean acidification, and an increase in marine heatwaves are challenging the living things that depend upon the ocean, including people. A sea change, however, is occurring in response to these troubling trends. More and more, humanity is revolutionizing its relationship with the ocean. For example, funding for marine conservation worldwide has doubled to nearly $2 billion over the last decade. Astonishing advances are being made in sustainable fishing, aquaculture, marine debris prevention and response, habitat restoration, offshore renewable energy, and ocean exploration and mapping.

Mission Systems technology will be implemented in Exail’s MCM solutions including within the framework of the SEA 1905 Mine Countermeasures Program. The collaboration will mainly centre around two themes: sonar simulation and machine learning. It will enable Exail to fit its maritime drones with advanced technology from Mission Systems, providing navies with the next generation of autonomous solutions. Exail teams have already started to integrate Mission Systems technology in its drone mission management software UMISOFTTM in its DM (Data Management) module.

Following the acquisition of iXblue by Group Gorgé end of September, ECA Group and iXblue announced today that both companies will be operating under a new joint brand: Exail. With this alliance, Exail becomes a global high-tech industrial champion specializing in cutting-edge robotics, maritime, navigation, aerospace and photonics technologies. Combining complementary technological expertise and geographical footprint with a strong legacy of innovation, Exail provides its global base of customers with cutting-edge in-house manufactured technologies ranging from components and sensors to products and complex systems.