POCASSET, Mass., 22 April 2007. Hydroid LLC, a manufacturer of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), has won two contracts from the Australian Department of Defence. The first contract was awarded by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) for Hydroid's REMUS 600 AUV, marking the first sale of a REMUS 600 outside of the U.S. The second was granted by the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) for a REMUS 100, the world's most proven and reliable AUV.
The RAN is part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), responsible for protecting Australia and its national interests. With the REMUS 600, which is designed to operate to depths of 600 meters, the RAN will be able to bolster its research and defense capabilities and perform operations requiring an underwater vehicle with extended endurance, increased payload capacity and greater operating depth.
"The ADF recognizes the potential advantages offered by uninhibited underwater vehicles (UUV) in improving undersea awareness," said CMDR Scott Craig of the RAN. "The UUV offers a technologically ready system that can be used to develop a concept for future employment of these systems in the ADF."
The DSTO is the Australian government's lead agency charged with applying science and technology to protect and defend the nation. As part of its undersea warfare research, the DSTO was searching for a reliable AUV that could be used for a variety of research missions, but also easily deployed and recovered. Weighing in at less than eighty pounds, and with the ability to be fitted with a wide variety of sensors and system options, the REMUS 100 was well-suited to the DSTO's requirements.
"The Defence Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) is in the process of acquiring a range of 'man-portable' unmanned underwater vehicles and gliders to further its research into concepts of operation for littoral warfare, particularly mine warfare, environmental assessment, hydrography, undersea warfare and force protection," said Dr. Stuart Anstee of DSTO. "Some vehicles are intended to support research with an operational emphasis, while others will allow exploration of different experimental payloads and vehicle configurations."
"The capabilities of REMUS have drawn interest from many navies throughout the world," said Christopher von Alt, president and founder of Hydroid. "When comparing existing and future naval requirements to the demonstrated capabilities of Hydroid solutions, it is clear that the demand for this technology will continue to increase."
Hydroid's REMUS AUVs can be fitted with a number of different types of sensors and cameras and have been used to aid in hydrographic surveys, harbor security operations, debris field mapping and scientific sampling and mapping. Hydroid's AUVs are currently being used by many navies around the world, including the U.S. Navy, British Royal Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy and German Navy.
