ECA Group is joining forces with iXblue and becomes Exail 
The USV INSPECTOR 125 is a high reliable multipurpose naval platform. Based on a sea proven hull shape it is designed for very demanding operations in various sea state conditions. The performances of its electronics and its navigation accuracy make it compliant with manned, remote controlled and fully autonomous coastal and open sea maritime missions such as infrastructure protection, mine warfare or rapid environmental assessment.
Its wide deck and open structure enable the USV INSPECTOR 125 to deploy a large scale of payloads including AUVs and ROVs. Its powerful propulsion makes it the perfect platform for towing large side scan sonar or sweep.
Large carrying and towing capacity
The INSPECTOR 125 is a “carrier USV” capable of transporting and deploying payloads formerly reserved for larger manned vessels.
It is capable of launching and recovering the A18 AUV, the T18 towed sonar and the SEASCAN identification and K-STER neutralization robots as well as towing a minesweeping system.
The INSPECTOR 125 is also equipped with a mine and obstacle avoidance sonar (MOAS) with a mine detection and classification performance never before achieved.
This sonar also enables a fast and efficient survey of the water column, but also to detect nets or other obstacles that may have been placed to prevent entangling the T18 towed sonar and and hampering the advance of the AUVs . A pre-survey of the water column is therefore possible making the subsequent work of the towed sonar and the AUVs safer and more efficient.
Robust, Stable and Operable by Sea State 5
The INSPECTOR 125 USV is equipped with a "Sea Proven" anti-roll system which reduces roll by 40%. Thanks to this mechanism, the USV is operational up to Sea State 5 and ensures the launching and recovery of the drones by high sea states (up to Sea State 4).
Their monolithic composite material structure is particularly robust and approved by Bureau Veritas for all-weather sailing.
The INSPECTOR 125’s design also takes into account the constraints and interfaces for its integration on the mother ship of the Belgian-Dutch solution which was designed to store, maintain, launch, retrieve and operate two INSPECTOR 125 USVs by high sea states (Sea State 5).
UNSINKABLE
The INSPECTOR 125 platform is equipped with foamed compartments, which makes it unsinkable and therefore more resistant in case of mine explosions or perils of the sea.
100% Exail
The INSPECTOR 125 is a 100% Exail product:
- The platform which is designed by MAURIC, Exail affiliate,
- The remote operation and autonomy system (Drone Kit) is developed by Exail and already installed and sold abroad to several customers.
100% ITAR FREE
The INSPECTOR 125 is ITAR Free as is the entire Exail Toolbox.
BENEFITS
- High endurance & stability at sea
- Operations in high sea state conditions
- Autonomous, remoted and onboard steering modes
- Redounded propulsion and safety
- Multiple payload combination
- High towing capability
- Real time data transmission
- Fully non magnetic design
CUSTOMERS
- Navies
- Homeland Security operators
- Border control
APPLICATIONS
- Rapid Environment assessment
- Mine Countermeasures
- Coastal / harbour protection
Sea proven
The INSPECTOR 125 platform, designed by MAURIC, is derived from the so-called V2 NG rescue boats that have been in service in the French National Society of Sea Rescue (SNSM) for about ten years.
MAURIC has been in charge of the design and definition of this series of 2nd class New Generation rescue boats. Equipped with two 410-hp diesel engines allowing her to reach 25 knots, the V2 NG has a 12m-long overall length.
With designs starting in 2006, the first V2 NG SNS rescue boat of this generation was launched in 2008 and underwent a year of various tests and trials. Since then, about twenty of these rescue vessels have been produced .
These rescue boats feature the characteristics of a true lifeboat, i.e. an unsinkable vessel offering the ideal compromise between speed, seakeeping and manoeuvrability.
The INSPECTOR 125 thus inherits the main performance features of the V2 NG vessels, namely:
- Speed
- Seakeeping
- Robustness
- Reliability
- Unsinkability
Launch and recovery systems (LARS)
The T18-M towed sonar and A18-M AUV can be automatically launched and recovered from the USV thanks to an automatic control system installed on INSPECTOR 125.
The launch/recovery system is the same for both the A18-M and T18-M with specific interfaces for each vehicle. This has been made possible thanks to the many components that can be used by both the T18-M and the A18-M from which it is derived; offering the following advantages:
- Same fastening device on the deck of the INSPECTOR 125
- Uses the common core on the deck of the INSPECTOR 125 when replacing the T18-M by the A18-M and vice versa, (hydraulic power unit, control command interface, etc.).
- Quick and easy to assemble and disassemble,
- Reduced storage area on board ship and ashore,
- Common spare parts, maintenance tools and training
For the A18-M, the launch/recovery system uses the principle patented by Exail based on the use of "clamps" installed on the AUV and guide lines (with weighted ends) deployed from the USV, which has demonstrated its full capabilities up to Sea State 4 on several occasions as part of the DGA's ESPADON programme. This system is used to "hook" the guide line and thus pull the AUV on the ramp on board the INSPECTOR 125. After hooking the guide line by the A18-M its recovery becomes identical to that of the T18-M which uses its own umbilical cable for recovery.
Drone Kit: "dronization" know-how for any platform
All INSPECTOR USVs are equipped with a "Drone Kit" sub-assembly which has all the sensors and actuators required to control and guide the USV.
Drone Kits can be provided for towing the multi-influence minesweeping system (AMAS) by USV.
