Ocius Technology in Australia has signed agreements to integrate sonar systems onto its Bluebottle unmanned surface vessels, and these will be installed on the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) fleet.
These contracts will result in the largest fielded deployment of persistent above- and below-water uncrewed surveillance assets anywhere in the world.
The agreements fall under Project Sea 1200, whose aim is to combat underwater threats. The Bluebottles are already boosting the RAN’s persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability, and the sonars will now add a submarine detection capacity.
Ocius stated, “These operational array systems will be deployed across the Bluebottle fleet, supporting long-endurance maritime surveillance to help protect Australia’s borders and offshore maritime interests.”
One agreement was with ThayerMahan for its Outpost acoustic intelligence payload coupled to the US firm’s TransparenSea processing software. ThayerMahan will provide 40 of those Outpost payloads.
Ocius explained in a press release issued on 25 August that these systems “will deploy in a distributed surveillance architecture that will detect, localise and track contacts of interest, delivering data to operators and commanders”.
The other agreement was with Thales Australia, who makes the BlueSentry thin-line acoustic array plus an accompanying acoustic processing suite.
Fitted to the keel of a Bluebottle, these arrays are retractable. The BlueSentry array actually builds upon the heritage of Thales sonar systems deployed on Collins-class submarines.
These solutions were extensively tested at sea in operational conditions. After validation by the RAN and a rigorous evaluation process that involved four thin-line array acoustic providers, the ThayerMahan and Thales Australia equipment was duly selected.
It was announced in March this year that the RAN had signed an A$176 million (US$126 million) contract for 40 new Bluebottles, joining another 15 already in service. Manufactured in Sydney, these are operated by the Maritime Border Command to the north of Australia.
These decisions also underscore how the Bluebottle is adaptable and agnostic to different payloads. Its winch and payload bay within the keel can accommodate different systems. It also shows other customers that payloads can be customised for their own Bluebottle fleets.
Furthermore, this development “demonstrates a practical application of AUKUS Pillar II, combining Australian autonomous maritime technology with advanced United States acoustic sensing and processing capabilities,” Ocius said.
Robert Dane, Founder and CEO of Ocius Technology, remarked, “In an increasingly contested global environment, Australia requires advanced and proven technologies to address evolving maritime threats.”
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy added, “The Ocius Bluebottle is a formidable asset. It’s already providing near persistent, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for Australia, having even remained on station as cyclones rolled through. And now, thanks to this new partnership, this capability will provide enhanced protection of Australia’s vast maritime domain.”
by Gordon Arthur
