Australian navy receives final Bluebottle USV
Four of the Royal Australian Navy’s new Bluebottle USVs are seen taking part in an exercise in Jervis Bay in May. (Photo: Ocius Technologies)
Australia's navy now has in its hands all five USVs that it ordered from a Sydney innovator and manufacturer.
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has received its final Bluebottle autonomous, persistent USV from Ocius Technology, the Department of Defence announced on 8 June.
The RAN purchased a quintet of 6.8m-long Bluebottles under a A$4.9 million ($3.3 million) contract inked on 24 November 2022. These were on top of nine hulls already produced by Sydney-based Ocius Technologies via a Defence Innovation Hub initiative.
Assistant Minister for Defence Matt Thistlethwaite commented: ‘Ocius Technologies and other innovative local businesses are the engine room of the Australian defence industry. They provide leading-edge capabilities to assist in contending with an increasingly complex strategic environment.’
The
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Daily news round-up email service
- Access to all Decisive Edge email newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Saab signs modernisation deal for Sweden’s coastal anti-ship missile capability]()
Saab signs modernisation deal for Sweden’s coastal anti-ship missile capability
Sweden’s Baltic coastal defence will be upgraded with new missile options.
-
![Pakistan Navy takes second OPV 2600 vessel from Damen]()
Pakistan Navy takes second OPV 2600 vessel from Damen
The PNS Yamama completes the class of maritime security vessels.
-
![South American shipyards end 2024 positively as regional navies bet on local manufacturers]()
South American shipyards end 2024 positively as regional navies bet on local manufacturers
The year ends with several South American navies undergoing ambitious programmes to modernise their fleets. A common denominator is that regional services want domestically manufactured surface vessels and even submarines.
-
![Hanwha Ocean to build FFX Batch-IV frigates for South Korea]()
Hanwha Ocean to build FFX Batch-IV frigates for South Korea
Hanwha Ocean aims for consistency between Batch-III and Batch-IV, despite radical technological overhaul.
-
![Navantia signs deal to supply new Avante 2200 corvettes to Saudi Arabia]()
Navantia signs deal to supply new Avante 2200 corvettes to Saudi Arabia
The vessels are the latest additions to an ongoing supply arrangement for Saudi Arabia’s defence force.
