In September, France's Direction générale de l'armement (DGA) launched a procurement process to acquire surface drones, known as unmanned surface vessels (USVs), designed to support its navy's operations. These drones are intended to accompany large warships such as amphibious helicopter carriers and support vessels. One system that could help meet this need is Neptis, recently introduced by Exail, a French defense company. Neptis is described as a new approach to maritime surveillance that uses multiple autonomous drones working together to perform tasks such as intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance, anti-submarine operations, and the protection of underwater infrastructure. The system is designed to be flexible, with features like mission planning, data analysis, and integration with higher-level naval command systems, tailored to the specific needs of each navy. Exail developed Neptis based on its earlier experience with the UMIS system, which is used for detecting and neutralizing underwater mines. This system relies on three types of naval drones from the Oryx series, each adapted for different missions. These drones use a custom-built navigation system that is resistant to electronic interference. However, none of the drones are currently armed. Among them, the H-8 is a compact USV that the French Navy already employs. The slightly larger H-9 has a greater range, capable of operating for 2,000 nautical miles and up to 20 days. The O-16, the largest of the three, can remain at sea for 30 days and carry heavier equipment, such as sonar or radar systems, making it more suitable for extended naval operations. Traditionally, naval surveillance has relied on sending ships and crews to monitor areas of interest. However, the use of autonomous systems is changing this approach. According to Sébastien Grall, director of Exail’s "Maritime Autonomous Systems" division, systems like Neptis allow navies to maintain a constant presence over larger areas, increasing their surveillance capabilities while reducing the workload on human crews. This enables faster access to critical information for decision-making without requiring a proportional increase in personnel. Exail emphasizes that the Oryx drones have already demonstrated their reliability in real-world conditions. The USVs from the DriX and Inspector series have collectively traveled over 1.5 million nautical miles and performed more than 300,000 hours of operations on both civilian and military missiles. These drones have also proven their ability to navigate in rough sea conditions, up to what is known as "sea state 7," which is considered quite challenging for maritime operations.