Autonomous USV launches ocean glider in first

An uncrewed surface vessel has autonomously launched an ocean glider for the first time, in a demonstration supporting the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Bastion programme.

The trial, led by ZeroUSV, saw a Teledyne Slocum ocean glider deployed from an Oceanus12 uncrewed surface vessel, acting as a host platform for subsea operations. The demonstration is understood to be the first instance of an ocean glider being launched from an uncrewed vessel without direct human intervention.

The milestone highlights how autonomous surface platforms could be used to deploy and support long-endurance underwater systems, reducing reliance on larger crewed ships for subsea missions.

Two Oceanus12 vessels were involved in the wider demonstration, which brought together multiple industry partners to test the integration of uncrewed surface vessels, underwater systems and specialist sensors.

Atlantic Bastion forms part of a broader Ministry of Defence effort to explore the use of autonomous systems for maritime security tasks, including subsea monitoring and the protection of critical undersea infrastructure.

Matthew Ratsey, Managing Director and Co-Founder of ZeroUSV, said the trial marked a shift in how subsea operations could be conducted.

“For the first time, the world has seen the launching and operating of an ocean glider from an uncrewed vessel, which opens up new possibilities for persistent subsea monitoring and long-endurance operations at sea,” he said.

“This ushers in a new operational model for persistent, distributed ocean data collection, directly relevant to defence ISR, ASW and REA missions.”

Teledyne Marine, which provided the glider system, said the ability to deploy such platforms from uncrewed vessels could expand their use in time-sensitive operations.

“The ability for our Slocum gliders to be rapidly and safely deployed into an operating area from another unmanned platform is a major capability enhancement,” said Arnar Steingrimsson, Vice President of Sales for Marine Vehicles at Teledyne Marine.

The Oceanus class is designed as a modular platform capable of deploying a range of subsea payloads, including sonar systems, survey equipment and autonomous underwater vehicles. A larger variant, Oceanus17, is currently in development and is expected to offer increased payload capacity and endurance.