A6K
Galeria
Visão geral
French 6,000 m hovering AUV derived from Ifremer's Ulyx, ordered for the French Navy's deep-seabed operations.
A6K is Exail's ultra-deep AUV, derived from Ulyx, the 6,000 m vehicle Exail built with France's ocean-research institute Ifremer. It combines two abilities usually found in different vehicles: long-endurance survey over wide areas and precise hovering close to the seabed, using two main thrusters plus four auxiliary thrusters. Exail quotes up to 30 hours of endurance depending on payload and mission. At about 4.5 m long and roughly 3 tonnes, it can reach almost the entire ocean floor. In 2024 France's DGA ordered development of a military A6K-M as part of its seabed-warfare strategy, to survey and inspect deep infrastructure and the seabed alongside a 6,000 m ROV.
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Exail describes up to 30 hours endurance and long-range survey combined with precise low-altitude hovering. Third-party figures: about 4.5 x 1.6 x 1.2 m, about 3,000 kg, 2 x 14 kWh batteries, two main and four auxiliary thrusters. In September 2024 the DGA ordered development of the A6K-M military version for France's seabed strategy, with service planned around 2026.
