German cooperation to develop AUVs for defence applications

A partnership formed by German companies Euroatlas, Fassmer, Rheinmetall and EvoLogics is developing a new range of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) designed for defence applications.

The 6.5-metre, 3.5-tonne craft will be capable of surveillance, undersea warfare, object tracking and marking, and protection of critical infrastructure such as pipelines and cables. The AUVs may also be utilised to simulate targets to support weapons training by operators.

Operating at a standard cruising speed of 10 knots and boasting a minimum operational range of 1,000 nautical miles, each vehicle will be equipped with a highly precise navigation system, ensuring coverage across its entire operational range while submerged.

The AUV will be fitted with both active and passive sensors including those for collision avoidance, though a custom sensor payload may also be carried.

With sensor fusion, data from the sensors in use will be evaluated by a self-learning algorithm, enabling the AUV to detect, track, and analyse object behavior. Additionally, changes to objects or their topology can be detected and evaluated.

The AUV will offer centrally or decentrally organised swarm capabilities. Thus, a group of AUVs can be controlled by a pre-defined or randomly assigned master, self-organise, or be under a mothership control.

Information can be encrypted and exchanged between individual units within the swarm.