On December 28, 2023, DGA awarded Naval Group a framework agreement for the design, production and testing of an Unmanned Combat Underwater Vehicle (UCUV) demonstrator. A first follow-on contract was also signed for the design and development of Naval Group’s Autonomous Decision-Making Process (ADMP) and secure autonomous navigation.

The Mexico Port Authorities have enhanced their port security capabilities by obtaining nine (9) advanced SRV-8 professional underwater drones from Oceanbotics Inc. This strategic move aims to elevate their surveillance and monitoring capacities, ensuring state-of-the-art technology is deployed across all ports under their jurisdiction.

Oceanbotics, the world’s leading manufacturer of easy-to-use professional underwater drones (ROVs), is pleased to announce the purchase of the SRV-8 by the Canadian Department of National Defence. This significant milestone has been achieved through our trusted partner, ROMOR Ocean Solutions, a provider of cutting-edge underwater drone technology.

Hydromea, a Swiss-based autonomous underwater robotics company, partnered up with Unplugged, a Norwegian leader in inductive charging and data transfer technology, to develop a resident underwater drone system for continuous inspection and monitoring of underwater assets. The partnership received EUR 2M in grant funding from their respective national organizations and the project will take 30 months to complete. Under the project, the partners will develop a robust, resident drone solution with the initial focus on the aquaculture industry. The system will be designed to remain underwater for months at a time and perform daily data sweeps, providing farmers with up-to-date comprehensive condition monitoring of its operations remotely.

The rapidly growing market for compact underwater drones is being revolutionized by QYSEA Technology, a leading manufacturer redefining the capabilities of small remotely-operated machines.

Saipem and WSense, an Italian start-up in the field of innovation, have signed a cooperation agreement for developing complex communication networks for subsea drones.

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Technology and Innovation (T&I) Lab recently made significant headway in its aerial and underwater drone program, using an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to perform an inspection for the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).

Hydromea unveiled the prototype of world’s first wireless underwater drone in a pool demo today. The drone can fit into a backpack, can be remotely controlled, and sends HD video back in real time without any physical connection to the pilot. The drone will deliver significant benefits in a number of inspection scenarios in confined flooded spaces, such as hydropower dams, closed waterways and ballast tanks on ships, reducing the cost and time-to-results, eliminating safety risks of dangerous inspections performed by humans today.

Connectivity in the underwater environment is the mission for Norwegian companies Transmark Subsea and WiSub; their combined forces deliver unprecedented automation capabilities to the blue growth sector internationally. Both companies have been key equipment and service providers to underwater intervention drone (UID™) docking stations since 2018. This convergence of mature cable and connector manufacturing and design with innovative wireless underwater power and data transfer systems ensures reliable delivery of turnkey docking solutions. These systems support subsea automation, especially for enabling underwater drones to remain persistently resident at the underwater work site but operated safely from shore.