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THE EVOLVING FIELD GUIDEEditor

DEFENCE DRONES / THE LIBRARY

Compare the evidence.

Choose up to three systems. Specifications retain their source and configuration; missing information is left undisclosed.

Exail A18-M / SLAM-F derivative

A medium military AUV with a separately contracted extended French SLAM-F configuration.

Country / region
France
Programme status
Order / production commitment
Sources reviewed
21 Sept 2026
Order / production commitmentOrder / production commitment
Primary domain
Underwater
System type
Autonomous underwater vehicle
Developer / manufacturer
Exail; Thales for French sonar integration
Origin / production countries
France
Other names
No additional names recorded
Variants / configurations
A18-M standard; Extended A18-M for French SLAM-F
Operators / programme customers
French Navy — contracted SLAM-F customer

Evidence & current status

Published capabilities and limits refer to the cited configuration; unreported values remain unknown.

Role & capabilities

  • Underwater survey
  • Environmental assessment

Specifications in context

Configuration
Not established in the reviewed public sources.

Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted.

Source
Hull / propulsion
Not established in the reviewed public sources.

Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted.

Source
Dimensions
Standard: 4.5 m length; 18-inch diameter

Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance.

Source
Displacement / mass
Standard: 442 kg

Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance.

Source
Payload
Not established in the reviewed public sources.

Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted.

Source
Endurance
Standard: up to 24 hours at 3 knots

Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance.

Source
Range
Not established in the reviewed public sources.

Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted.

Source
Speed
Not established in the reviewed public sources.

Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted.

Source
Operating depth
Standard: 3–300 m

Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance.

Source
Sensors
Standard: synthetic-aperture sonar and CTD; SLAM-F: SAMDIS 600

Distinct standard and extended French configurations.

Source
Communications / control
Not established in the reviewed public sources.

Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted.

Source
Launch / deployment
Shore, support vessel or Inspector 125 with appropriate handling equipment

Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance.

Source