Hydroid to upgrade UK MOD REMUS AUVs

Hydroid has announced that it will upgrade the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD’s) REMUS 100 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) as part of a newly awarded contract. The work will be performed on the Royal Navy’s (RN’s) mine clearance hyrdrographic vehicles to enhance operational capabilities.

Under the contract Hydroid will integrate BlueView Technologies 3D MicroBathymetry systems and GeoAcoustics GeoSwath interferrometric sonar with the REMUS 100; as well as fitting modular endcaps and digital ultra-short baseline (USBL) acoustic positioning systems. Some of the fleet’s twelve REMUS 100 vehicles will be equipped with Inertial Navigation Systems as well.

The REMUS 100 is modular and may be fitted with a large number of different types of sensors to meet the customer’s needs. In this case, the BlueView systems will provide high resolution 2D and 3D imagery in the region directly below the AUV – an area that often has a coverage gap which requires overlapping passes in order to cover the survey region. The 3D MicroBathymetry will fill that gap and eliminate the need for any overlapping passes.

According to the company, GeoSwath interferometric sonar will allow for unprecedented rapid survey coverage in shallow waters. Interferometric sonar (IFMS) is an emergent technology that provides significant advantages in shoal areas where Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) use is not feasible or of too low a resolution to be useful. IFMS systems accurately measure depths at precise locations on the seafloor using exactly spaced phase differencing transducer elements.

The Ministry of Defence’s current fleet of REMUS 100 vehicles has been in operation since March 2006. The Royal Navy also employs several REMUS 600 vehicles, which play a primary role in mine reconnaissance and also conduct hydrographic surveys and environmental assessments. The combined vehicles have provided reliable and proven capabilities for the Royal Navy’s underwater search and survey operations.