Exail Technologies signs a EUR 60 million order for K-STER underwater drones

Exail Technologies has signed an order worth nearly €60 million to equip the Belgian and Dutch navies. This order is part of the BENL program, aimed at supplying twelve robotic systems for combating underwater mines.

K-STER drones, mass-produced in Ostend, Belgium, are used in the last phase of missions to neutralize underwater mines. These “expendable” drones are destroyed once their mission is accomplished. This allows the navies to effectively carry out their mine clearance operations.

This contract reflects Exail's business model, which generates additional revenue after an initial order, including consumables, spare parts, maintenance and additional services. This contract, the most important in terms of robots, marks a change of scale towards industrial production.

The BENL program continues to progress with the first sea trials of the first Naval Group vessel, integrating Exail technologies.