US firm unveils new UUV variant

US defence shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) recently unveiled a new variant of an existing series of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

Each example of the craft will have a compact, two-person-portable design, the ability to easily integrate various payloads, a maximum operating depth of 100 metres, and an extended battery life of up to 10 hours for sustained operations. The batteries are designed to be easily changed in the field.

The new UUV variant was developed for customers requiring long service life, modularity, and open architecture at a reduced cost. Missions will include data collection and research, offshore oil and gas exploration, search and rescue (SAR), and mine countermeasures (MCM).

The UUV will feature modern core electronics, navigation, and communications systems with modular, open architecture interfaces to accommodate wet or dry payloads, including custom payloads developed by the user.