CategoryMaritime
Overview
ECA Group was a French robotics company specializing in unmanned maritime systems, underwater drones, and naval robotics. In 2022, ECA Group merged with iXblue to form Exail Technologies, creating a global technology leader in submersible drones and maritime navigation. The combined entity was subsequently acquired by Thales in a $4.5 billion deal.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 1 deployment on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Key facts
Products
Customers
Parent
Product
CEO
Data & sources
Web sources
2
2 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →ECA Group on the deployment map
Where ECA Group's robots are verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Dominique Giannoni CEOreported, not verified
Safety record
No incidents on record for ECA Group.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operated deployments (1)
- AlistarBrussels
Operator customers (1)
- ECA Group1 deployment
Recent coverage
ECA Group in third-party press
Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- BAE Systems3 models
- Kongsberg Maritime3 models
- Rekise Marine3 models
- Forth Engineering2 models
- Huntington Ingalls Industries2 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- mature
- Counterparty risk class
- low
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJun 7, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Sources (2)
Common questions
- What is ECA Group?
- ECA Group was a French robotics company specializing in unmanned maritime systems, underwater drones, and naval robotics. In 2022, ECA Group merged with iXblue to form Exail Technologies, creating a global technology leader in submersible drones and maritime navigation. The combined entity was subsequently acquired by Thales in a $4.5 billion deal.
- What does ECA Group make?
- ECA Group has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: Alistar (ECA Group builds physical robots).
- Is ECA Group publicly traded?
- ECA Group is not independently listed on public markets; it is part of Thales ($4.5B on the DEPLOY registry.
- Who competes with ECA Group?
- On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to ECA Group building in the same form factors include Anduril Industries, BAE Systems, Kongsberg Maritime, Rekise Marine.
- Who is the CEO of ECA Group?
- Dominique Giannoni is the ceo of ECA Group, per the DEPLOY registry.
- How can I invest in ECA Group?
- ECA Group has no separately traded stock; it is owned by Thales ($4.5B (the parent is the entity that trades, where it is public).
- Where is ECA Group headquartered?
- ECA Group is headquartered in Toulon, France.
- Who owns ECA Group?
- ECA Group is owned by Thales ($4.5B, per the DEPLOY registry.
- Where does ECA Group operate robots?
- ECA Group operates 1 verified deployment, including at Brussels.
- Is ECA Group a top robotics company?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, ECA Group ranks in roughly the top 47% of companies tracked by the registry.
- When was ECA Group founded?
- ECA Group was founded in 1936.
- Is ECA Group safe?
- ECA Group has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-09
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-09
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for ECA Group.Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- BAE Systems3 models
- Kongsberg Maritime3 models
- Rekise Marine3 models
- Forth Engineering2 models
- Huntington Ingalls Industries2 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning ECA Group from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
ECA Group Secures French Navy PAP Demining ROV Contract
ECA Group was awarded a 5-year contract by the French Ministry of Armed Forces for supplying consumables for French navy PAP demining ROVs.
Gorge Group units rebrand as Exail to focus on submersible drones
ECA Group and iXblue merged to form Exail Technologies, focusing on underwater drones and maritime robotics, with Thales subsequently acquiring the combined entity.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/eca-group.md
- RSS feed: /companies/eca-group/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/16317555-5e1a-4813-b34c-9120c13acff7
- Revision history: /companies/eca-group/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- BAE Systems3 models
- Kongsberg Maritime3 models
- Rekise Marine3 models
- Forth Engineering2 models
- Huntington Ingalls Industries2 models
Reality vs attention
ECA Group draws attention at the 6th percentile but verifies reality at the 31st percentile among underwater robots. Hype Gap -24.7, 11th widest among underwater robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 1 verified deployment. Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 23, 2026