French unmanned systems manufacturer Alseamar has been selected to supply five new glider-type autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to the French Navy.
Each of the AUVs will be capable of transporting payloads that will include Alseamar's proprietary AI-supported acoustic underwater surveillance system.
The AUVs can be operated simultaneously via network, allowing them to be used on a large scale, such as when conducting surveillance of a large underwater area.
Each of the craft will have a length of two metres, a diameter of 0.25 metre, a displacement of 59 kg, and a maximum diving depth of 1,000 metres. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery will deliver a maximum speed of one knot and a range of 1,700 kilometres or an endurance of 110 days.
The original design of AUVs was developed to also be used for civilian applications such as scientific research, environmental monitoring, and assessments of fish stocks. Sensor options will include CTD sensors, acoustic Doppler current profilers, and fluorometers.