French defence technology company Exail has launched Neptis, an autonomous maritime surveillance system designed to coordinate fleets of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), sensors and a single command-and-control platform.
The company said Neptis is intended to help naval forces monitor larger areas for longer periods without deploying crewed vessels to every patrol zone. Exail positions the system for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, anti-submarine warfare, protection of critical undersea infrastructure such as cables and pipelines, and countering uncrewed aerial systems.
According to Exail, Neptis links sensors “above, on and below the surface” into a coordinated autonomous capability to provide a broader operational picture and support faster decision-making. Sébastien Grall, Exail’s head of maritime autonomous systems, said autonomous platforms could reduce the burden on crews and operators while sustaining surveillance presence over time.
Neptis is built around Exail’s new Oryx USV family—H-8, H-9 and O-16—described as covering coastal, offshore and multi-sensor missions with different endurance, deployment and payload configurations.
Exail said the system draws on experience gained through its UMIS mine countermeasures system, which integrates multiple unmanned surface and underwater platforms, payloads and communications into a single operational framework.
The company also pointed to accumulated operating history for its uncrewed vessels, including more than 1.5 million nautical miles navigated, more than 300,000 operational hours, and more than 90 USVs sold worldwide across its DriX and Inspector ranges. Exail said it has participated in operations and exercises involving the US Navy, NATO and the French Navy.
Exail said it will present Neptis and the Oryx USV family at Euronaval in Paris in November 2026.
