The Ministry of Defence has awarded a GBP 3 million contract to HII Unmanned Systems Inc for in-service support of the Royal Navy’s REMUS 100 and REMUS 300 unmanned underwater vehicle fleets, covering project management, technical support, repairs, training and maintenance.
The contract was awarded by the SALMO Delivery Team, part of the MoD based in Bristol, to HII Unmanned Systems, a subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries based in Pocasset, Massachusetts, and represents a follow-on support contract for systems already in service with the Royal Navy.
The contract is somewhatt notable given the broader context of the Royal Navy’s push toward autonomous and unmanned underwater capabilities under the Atlantic Bastion programme, with underwater drones increasingly central to both mine countermeasures and anti-submarine warfare operations.
The REMUS 100 is a relatively compact system, roughly 1.6 metres long and weighing around 37 kilograms, which means it can be deployed and recovered by a small team without specialist handling equipment, making it practical for operations from a range of vessels including rigid inflatable boats and smaller patrol craft as well as larger warships.
The REMUS 300 is able to operate to 300 metres depth compared to the 100 metre limit of its smaller sibling, and carries a more capable sensor suite including synthetic aperture sonar which gives considerably better resolution imagery of the seabed than conventional side-scan, making it better suited to detailed mine hunting and survey work in deeper coastal and shelf environments.
Both systems are built around an open architecture that allows payloads and software to be updated as requirements change, which is part of why the REMUS family has remained in widespread service across NATO navies for well over a decade, with the US Navy, Royal Navy and a number of other allied services all operating variants of the platform in different configurations. HII acquired the REMUS programme when it purchased Hydroid in 2016, and has since developed the family further with newer variants including the REMUS 620 and REMUS 6000 for deeper water operations.
Why has an MOD contract for underwater drones, gone to the largest military ship building company in the United States? There are literally dozens and dozens of drone manufacturers in the UK. Granted many of them are are small or medium size however, a contract like this would see a few businesses grow exponentially.
The MOD would then be seen to support UK business, encourage and stimulate the growth of knowledge in the subject/s area/s, whilst maintaining that expertise here.
Another opportunity to stimulate, encourage and support British development, skills and business missed methinks.
£3 million? That’s blown this years budget then…🫣