U.S. aerospace and defense company General Dynamics Corp has released a video of Bluefin-9 underwater drone sea trials with the Royal Navy.
Video posted to Youtube by General Dynamics appeared to show the Royal Navy’s Maritime Autonomous Systems (MAS) Trials Development Unit demonstrates the General Dynamics Bluefin-9 autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV).
The MAS Trial Team is responsible for conducting training and trials on all future autonomous systems for the Royal Navy. During the trails, the two man-portable Bluefin-9 performed well in harsh sea conditions and the data was sharp and clean.
The Bluefin-9 features tightly integrated commercial off-the-shelf sensors that deliver best-in-class imagery and collect bathymetric and environmental data, including data on water currents, temperature, salinity and turbidity. Designed for detailed hydrographic surveys, the Bluefin-9 is outfitted with Sonardyne Solstice Multi-Aperture Sonar (MAS) that provides high-resolution imagery even in littoral waters.
The Bluefin-9 is also equipped with Nortek Doppler Velocity Logs (DVLs) that collect information on water currents up to 30 meters.