[Duarte]

Land-based robotic combat complexes developed by Ukrainian DevDroid - Droid TW. Armed with a Browning-type 12.7mm heavy machine gun.

https://x.com/NSTRIKE1231/status/1993935436071449053?s=20

[Lusitano89]

Os drones intercetores europeus são líderes mundiais em termos tecnológicos

[Lusitano89]

[Lusitano89]

[PTWolf]

China testing underwater unmanned drones that can conduct long-range missions: Report

https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-testing-underwater-unmanned-drones

The drones are likely intended to be armed with conventional submarine armaments like mines and torpedoes, but could also act as motherships for other drones, too. As for range, estimates have circulated of around 10,000 nautical miles (18,520 km) or more.

If reports are true, this could be a game-changer for China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), which has limited blue water assets. These new drones would provide some interesting new tools for the PLAN, especially given that such assets can be sent on one-way or high-risk missions with little to no risk to human crews.

They can also loiter in locations for long periods (weeks or months), making them excellent deterrents.

[PTWolf]

https://interestingengineering.com/military/french-exail-sea-drone

French 2,300-mile DriX H-9 sea drone secures two new deals as navies boost offshore defense

A French maritime robotics and navigation systems company has just secured two new contracts for its DriX H-9 autonomous surface drone, that will support France and another undisclosed allied navy.

Paris-based Exail Technologies confirmed the two new contracts for its DriX H-9 autonomous surface vessel (USV) on January 7, 2026. “These innovations respond to the multiplication of threats in the maritime domain,” the company stated.

The DriX H-9 is the long-range variant of the firm’s DriX unmanned surface drone family. Designed for extended missions at sea with minimal human intervention it measures 29.5 feet (nine meters) in length and can displace 2.1 tones.

The platform can operate for up to 20 days. It can reach a range of 2,000 nautical miles (2,301 miles), which makes it suitable for prolonged surveillance, maritime monitoring tasks and hydrographic surveying.

Navies adopt the DriX H-9
The DriX H-9 surface drone has a fuel capacity of 550 liters. It cruises at speeds of up to 13 knots while maintaining low acoustic and radar signatures. The vessel is capable of station keeping and hovering. It enables it to maintain precise positioning during data-collection mission or while supporting subsea missions.

Unlike its smaller sibling, the DriX H-8, the H-9 supports remotely operated towed vehicle (ROTV) deployment and towing capabilities. It is also equipped to operate multibeam echo sounders (MBES) at depths of up to 9,842 feet (3,000 meters).


The vessel is built for ease of deployment and logistics, with the entire platform transportable in a single 40-foot container. Under the first of Exail’s two orders, placed by the innovation arm of a leading navy, the DriX H-9 will be configured for counter-unmanned aerial system (CUAS) missions.

It will integrate third-party sensors and technologies designed to detect, track and neutralize hostile aerial drones. While common on land, adapting counter-drone systems to autonomous maritime platforms ensures offshore protection.

Maritime defense autonomy
By hosting CUAS capabilities on a surface drone, naval forces can project drone defense well beyond the coastline. “Its autonomy, its carrying capacity and its modularity allow it to quickly integrate new systems for a variety of missions: surveillance, security, hydrography, anti-drone warfare, infrastructure protection,” the company said.

The Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOM) of the French Navy placed the second order. This is the French agency’s second acquisition of a DriX system, reinforcing the platform’s growing reputation in seabed mapping and maritime data collection.