Exail unveils Neptis, a new maritime surveillance system based on distributed autonomy

Ahead of the Euronaval 2026 exhibition, French industrial group Exail has announced the launch of Neptis, an integrated maritime surveillance solution designed to coordinate fleets of autonomous assets. The system is structured around a new line of Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs), the Oryx series, coupled with defense-grade payloads and a centralized mission command-and-control (C2) system.

The group’s objective is to multiply maritime surveillance capacity while preserving high-value crewed platforms for primary missions. Neptis is designed to cover a broad spectrum of operational needs: Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Critical Undersea Infrastructure Protection (CUIP), and Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems (C-UAS). By networking surface, air, and subsea sensors into a single operational picture, the system expands coverage areas and accelerates decision-making.

On the software side, the Neptis C2 module enables operators to supervise multiple autonomous platforms simultaneously. Its modular architecture handles tactical tracking, mission planning, data fusion, AI-assisted decision support, and interoperability with higher-level naval command systems. To design this architecture, Exail drew on operational feedback from its proven UMIS mine countermeasures system.

The hardware offering relies on the new Oryx series, which includes the Oryx H-8, H-9, and O-16 models. These surface drones were developed to meet varying endurance, payload capacity, and deployment requirements, ranging from coastal operations to deep-sea missions. Regarding technological maturity, Exail highlights a track record of over 1.5 million nautical miles navigated and 90 USVs sold worldwide (across the DriX and Inspector ranges), with sea-proven survivability up to Sea State 7.

The Neptis system and the Oryx range will be officially presented to international delegations at Euronaval in November 2026.