Babcock Signs $916M Submarine Infrastructure Deal with UK Defense Ministry
Defense contractor Babcock has signed a four-year £750 million (~$916 million) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA), to deliver the infrastructure required to support and sustain the UK’s submarines for decades to come.As part of the major infrastructure program underway at the Devonport site, Babcock said it would deliver substantial upgrades to existing infrastructure that will support the future capability of the Royal Navy and the UK’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise.The contract for the delivery of infrastructure to support submarine
DriX USV Takes Part in Military Exercise in Bahrain
Exail, formerly iXblue, recently took part in the Digital Horizon Unmanned & Artificial Intelligence Exercise in Bahrain, organized by the US Navy. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet held the three-week exercise in December to test new unmanned technologies, as part of its plans to establish the world’s first Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) fleet of one hundred drones in the Gulf by the end of the summer.The current geopolitical situation means that manned assets are in increasing demand elsewhere, leading the Navy to look to the latest unmanned technologies to expand its capabilities. Vice Adm.
Kraken Gets $1.1M Synthetic Aperture Sonar Order for NATO Navy Clients
Kraken Robotics has secured a $1.1 million purchase order from an unnamed customer for several of its AquaPix synthetic aperture sonars SAS). "These systems will be integrated to Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for delivery to two distinct NATO navies. Delivery is expected in the first half of 2023." Kraken Robotics said .Kraken’s AquaPix is an off the shelf, configurable SAS that replaces high end sidescan systems at an, Kraken says, affordable price, while delivering higher resolution, range, and area coverage rates (ACR). Kraken says that the increased range
Maritime Gunships: Kraken Partners with MSI-Defence Systems
British maritime company Kraken Technology Group (KTG) has partnered up with MSI-Defence Systems (MSI-DS) around key systems on its K50 KRAKEN maritime gunship.MSI-DS is a land and naval weapon systems specialist focusing on precision engagement, weapons direction, remote situational awareness and hard kill on a range of host platforms.MSI-DS has developed cross-domain weapons platforms and control systems for naval, land, and littoral environments."This partnership agreement reflects many areas of collaboration and development between both parties, specifically the integration of MSI-Defence
Navy Establishing Unmanned Surface Vessel Fleet for Persistent ISR in Middle East
“We're not tinkering. We're building enhanced maritime domain awareness.”The U.S. Navy’s Task Force 59, based in Bahrain as part of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and U.S. Fifth Fleet, is advancing the operational employment and integration of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence in fleet operations.According to Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the fleet commander, unmanned systems and artificial intelligence are helping to accelerate innovation, especially in such a vast area of responsibility (AOR)“It's 5,000 miles from the Suez Canal all the way
GUH Issues Defense Sector Innovation Call
The Global Underwater Hub (GUH), in partnership with the Royal Navy and Babcock, has launched a call for innovation that aims to identify technologies and techniques used in the offshore environment that can be applied to the defence sector to address key problem challenges and generate efficiency savings.The joint initiative seeks to identify ways to increase the operational uptime of assets and reduce dry-docking periods by adopting and adapting existing in-water inspection, maintenance and repair practices used in other sectors.This is the first project to be unveiled by the GUH since its formation
Anduril to Build Extra Large AUVs for Royal Australian Navy
Defense technology company Anduril Industries has entered into commercial negotiations with the Australian Defence Force for a US$100 million co-funded design, development, and manufacturing program for Extra Large Autonomous Undersea Vehicles (XL-AUVs) for the Royal Australian Navy.According to Anduril, the XL-AUV will be an affordable, autonomous, long-endurance, multi-mission capable AUV. "It is modular, customizable, and can be optimized with a variety of payloads for a wide range of military and non-military missions such as advanced intelligence, infrastructure inspection,
Huntington Ingalls Industries Debuts Proteus USV
Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII) debuted the 27-foot Proteus unmanned surface vessel (USV) for testing and development of autonomy capabilities. Proteus, outfitted with Sea Machines Robotics’ SM300 autonomy system, completed a successful demonstration off the coast of Panama City, Fla., on May 14.“We are thrilled to launch our Proteus USV. The vessel performed exactly as expected with the SM300 system’s proven and safe autonomous capability,” said Duane Fotheringham, president of the Unmanned Systems business group in HII’s Technical Solutions division.
Morneau Joins ThayerMahan to advise on UXO, MEC
for leading the creation of Expeditionary Mine Countermeasures Companies, which added unmanned underwater vehicles and a data analysis team to existing EOD units.Morneau retired in 2016 as a Rear Admiral and as the senior Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Deep-Sea Diving Officer in the Department of Defense. Notable assignments in his military career include: Command of EOD Mobile Unit EIGHT; All Atlantic Fleet EOD Forces; Navy Expeditionary Combat Forces (TASK FORCE 56) throughout the Arabian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan; and global Commander of the 20,000 Sailors and 138 commands comprising the Navy&rsquo
February 2024
