Role & capabilities
- Underwater survey
- Environmental assessment
- Primary domain
- Underwater
- System type
- Autonomous underwater vehicle
- Developer / manufacturer
- Exail
- Origin / production countries
- France
- Other names
- No additional names recorded
- Variants / configurations
- Not distinguished in reviewed sources
- Operators / programme customers
- Not identified in reviewed sources
Evidence & current status
Published capabilities and limits refer to the cited configuration; unreported values remain unknown.
A9-M is the smaller member of Exail's military survey AUV range. Its role is to collect seabed imagery and environmental observations without a physical tether to the operator. The standard sensor description includes side-scan sonar, a camera and water-property measurements; inertial navigation and a Doppler velocity log support its underwater positioning. Radio and acoustic links serve different parts of the mission, rather than providing continuous underwater broadband control.
The vehicle is intended for a small handling team and can be deployed from a RHIB or other support craft. Exail's maximum duration requires the dual-battery option, making energy configuration important when comparing portable AUVs. Its compact hull does not make it a miniature version of every larger A18-M capability: sensors, handling equipment and endurance differ.
A July 2026 Exail contract announcement mentioned A9-M as an optional future payload for a light naval system, but explicitly excluded it from that award. This entry therefore records the available product without converting that announcement into a confirmed A9-M order or naming the undisclosed navy as an operator.
Sourced specifications
Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.
| Specification | Reported value | Context & source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 m length; 9-inch diameter | Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source |
| Displacement / mass | 70 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 | Up to 20 hours at 3 knots | Dual-battery option identified on product page; maximum depends on fit and conditions. 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 | 3–300 m | Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source |
| Sensors | Side-scan sonar, video and CTD | Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source |
| Communications / control | INS/DVL; RF and acoustic communications | Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source |
| Launch / deployment | Two-person handling from small craft | Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source |
Publication history
- — Published reference update.
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Follow the evidence
Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.
- Exail A9-M (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
- Exail military AUV comparison (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
- Exail July 2026 contract scope (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer