Deliveries include a large UUV for the US Navy, an unmanned mine countermeasures systems package for the Belgian Navy, and an inland survey USV for a Norwegian operator. A US engineering firm has meanwhile introduced a new type of work-class ROV fitted with electric propulsion. Lastly, the Australian Government will acquire additional USVs for surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
The Australian Department of Defence will invest AU$176 million (US$125 million) for the acquisition of a new fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
The USVs will belong to the same series as 15 craft that were handed over earlier to the RAN. The newer USVs will be delivered over the next five years beginning in early 2026.
The craft will provide near-persistent, long-range surface and sub-surface intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities in response to increasing maritime security threats.
The US Navy's newest extra-large unmanned undersea vehicle (XLUUV) has been formally named.
XLE2 belongs to the same series of XLUUVs as XLE0, which was delivered to he US Navy in 2024. Built by aerospace and defence technology company Boeing, the craft is configured to accommodate a range of mission-specific payloads such as a new type of undersea mine currently under development.
The XLUUV has a length of 51 feet (16 metres), a beam of 8.5 feet (2.6 metres), a displacement of 45.36 tonnes, and a payload bay measuring 34 feet (10 metres) long and with a volume of 2,000 square feet (186 square metres) and a capacity of 7.26 tonnes.
Oceaneering International announced that its subsea robotics segment has introduced a new electric propulsion work class remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
The company re-engineered the work class platform around electric propulsion to improve efficiency and simplify system architecture. This design was developed using a reliability-driven and data-informed approach, Oceaneering stated.
The vehicle is intended for 30-day continuous subsea operations to provide support for drilling and inspection. This extended residency also enables the system to assist with maintenance, repair, and construction work.
The Belgian Navy recently acquired a new mine countermeasures (MCM) systems package from Belgium Naval and Robotics, the consortium formed by French defence shipbuilder the Naval Group and unmanned technology company Exail.
According to Exail, the delivered systems constitute the core of the stand-off mine warfare capability of the rMCM vessels of the Belgian and Royal Netherlands Navies, enabling remote detection, classification, identification and neutralisation of mines.
The package includes the full suite of surface, underwater and aerial unmanned systems, together with the associated mission management solutions. With the exception of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), all unmanned assets were produced and assembled at Exail's facility in Ostend.
UK unmanned systems specialist HydroSurv Unmanned Survey has sold one of its unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to civil engineering and construction company Skanska Norway.
Named Saga, the USV will be operated by Skanska Norway's in-house survey and inspection unit on inland hydrographic survey operations.
The USV will be primarily deployed to deliver high-resolution bathymetric surveys using a multibeam echo sounder, supporting the design, construction and long-term maintenance of infrastructure located over, under and alongside the water.
