Teledyne Marine, through its Teledyne Gavia unmanned systems division based in Iceland, has handed over four new autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in a series to the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV).
The delivery of the AUVs is in fulfilment of a multi-year framework agreement between FMV and Teledyne.
The AUVs will be used for missions such as surveillance, mine countermeasures, seabed mapping, hydrographic surveys, search and recovery, training of sonar operators, environmental assessment, and intelligence gathering. Each craft can be rapidly reconfigured in the field when switching between mission types.
Each AUV is of compact construction, allowing for overnight shipping. A small team will suffice for operating the craft from a vessel opportunity while deployment into the water can be done by only two people.
The craft are fully modular and are fitted with swappable batteries to ensure faster turnarounds as well as enable them to reach speeds of up to 5.5 knots. Sensor options include side-scan sonars, multi-beam echosounders, sub-bottom profilers, and cameras.
The AUVs can be monitored and controlled from over the horizon via an Iridium satellite communications link. Teledyne said that in typical defence configuration, the craft's battery propulsion will enable it to operate for up to eight hours at three knots.
In addition to the Swedish Armed Forces, the navies of 18 other countries have acquired examples of AUVs from the same Teledyne-built series.