NOC and Royal Navy Renew MOU on Underwater Systems
The UK's National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has renewed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Royal Navy, reinforcing a long-standing partnership in marine science and technology. The MOU, which includes collaboration with the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the Ministry of Defense (MOD)’s science and technology organization, underscores a shared commitment to fostering innovation and advances in autonomous and robotic underwater systems.With expertise from NOC Innovations, the applied research and commercialization arm of NOC, the agreement will help enhance the
SeeByte Wins Deal to Continue UK Mine Hunting Capability Program Support
SeeByte has been awarded a three-year contract by Defense Equipment & Support (DE&S), part of the UK Ministry of Defense, to provide its suite of C2, mission-level autonomy, target recognition, support, and development services to the Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) Delivery Team and related programs in support of the Royal Navy.The contract has a three-year initial term with options to extend the duration up to two additional years. The base contract award is £2.4 million with the potential for future flexible tasking orders up to a maximum of £50 million over the full contract term.
UK Royal Navy Buys More Remus UUVs
HII, a manufacturer of underwater unmanned vehicles (UUV), announced the recent sale of three REMUS 100s and five REMUS 300s to the U.K. Royal Navy for underwater exploration, countermine and surveillance programs.Over the past 20 years, the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense has acquired a mix of REMUS 100s, Remus 300s and REMUS 600s for mine countermeasure operations. The Ministry’s first two REMUS 100s, acquired in 2001, are still in operation today, demonstrating the resilience and modernization capabilities of the HII-built UUVs.The new REMUS 100s and 300s are equipped with advanced sensors
Fincantieri Cuts Steel for Italian Navy's New Oceanographic Ship
, the Director of the Hydrographic Institute, Rear Admiral Massimiliano Nannini and the Director of Naval Armaments, Chief Inspector Admiral Giuseppe Abbamonte.The renewal program of the naval units of the Navy's hydrographic service is part of an innovative European project involving the Ministry of Defense. Within the scope of this project, a funding agreement has been reached between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).(Photo: Fincantieri
Converted OSV Enters Service in the UK as an Underwater Surveillance Ship
Royal Fleet Auxiliary as a launchpad for remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) and a home to a suite of specialist capabilities similar to those found in the offshore oil and gas industry.The ship, built in 2017 as a subsea construction vessel named Topaz Tangaroa, was acquired by the U.K. Ministry of Defense in January and converted at Cammell Laird for its new role as a Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship (MROSS). Proteus is equipped with a flight deck and a 1,000-square-meter cargo deck, plus a heavy-duty crane for lifting and lowering operations.The 6,000-tonne vessel left Merseyside in September
BAE Systems Secures $4,81B Funding for Next-Gen Nuclear Submarine Program
The UK Ministry of Defense has awarded £3.95 billion (currently ~$4,81 billion) of funding to BAE Systems for the next phase of the UK's next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine program, known as SSN-AUKUS.According to BAE Systems, SSN-AUKUS will be the largest, most powerful, and most advanced attack submarine the Royal Navy has ever operated and will eventually replace the Astute class, which BAE Systems builds at its site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.The funding follows the AUKUS announcement in March by the leaders of Australia, the UK and the United States. This will eventually
U.S. Revives Cold War Submarine Spy Program to Counter China
known point on earth; the other near Yap, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. Though China says these sensors are used for scientific purposes, they could detect submarine movements near the U.S. naval base on Guam, a Pacific island territory, the Navy sources said.China’s Ministry of Defense did not respond to requests for comment about any aspect of this story. China's Foreign Ministry declined to comment.The U.S. Navy’s surveillance push is driven by three main factors, according to the three people with direct knowledge of the plans. First is the meteoric rise
Uncrewed Boats Are Changing the Way Wars Are Fought at Sea
, evolutionary approach to interpreting the convention in light of modern advancements, and the purpose of Article 29, could allow an uncrewed vessel to be regarded as a “warship” to ensure a state’s accountability for its actions. This is precisely the view taken by the UK Ministry of Defense in a submission to the House of Lords in November 2021. On the question of whether UNCLOS is “fit for purpose” in the 21st century, it said that Article 29 confirms that:"State responsibility for the actions of warships and requires that the state have an accountable system
SeeByte Selected to Develop Future Crewed-uncrewed Teaming Concept
SeeByte, developer of smart software solutions for uncrewed maritime systems, reports it been selected by the U.K. Ministry of Defense’s Defense and Security Accelerator (DASA) to design and develop a proof-of-concept solution to improve communication and understanding between operators and uncrewed maritime systems.The new concept will include tailoring the volume and content of messages received and predicting vehicles’ actions between communication updates, SeeByte said. The engine will present any variation detected between the predicted and actual actions of the vehicle executed
February 2025
