Underwater vehicles

The Mission Technologies division of HII in the US is developing a medium-class UUV with a range of 200 nautical miles and carrying a sonar payload (writes Nick Flaherty).

The REMUS 620 has a battery life of up to 110 hours and a range of 275 nautical miles unladen, or 78 hours and a range of 200 nautical miles with HII’s standard synthetic aperture sonar payload. It is intended for mine countermeasures, hydrographic surveys, intelligence collection, surveillance and electronic warfare.

A prototype is being built, with production planned for the end of 2023.

It has a modular, open architecture design for a range of payloads and HII’s Odyssey suite of autonomy software.

The software allows multiple REMUS 620s to operate collaboratively or to be deployed from submarines, small crewed or uncrewed boats, amphibious ships or even a helicopter. The craft can also be used as a platform to launch and operate other vehicles or payloads.

The batteries and energy modules have a standard, open interface and so are swappable, allowing for quick turnaround and incorporation of alternative energy sources such as fuel cells as they become available.

“The REMUS 620 is the first medium UUV designed to accurately deliver this range of advanced above-and-below water effects at long range,” said Duane Fotheringham, president of Mission Technologies’ Unmanned Systems business group.

“It was designed from the ground up for ease of payload integration, and it can support up to three interchangeable energy sections that can be charged inside or outside the vehicle.”

Payloads can be replaced or enhanced for multi-mission capabilities, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as cyber and electronic warfare operations.