US Navy orders two REMUS 300 UUVs from HII

HII subsidiary Hydroid delivered a prototype of its REMUS 300 UUV to the USN in February last year for evaluation by the USN's Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) as a potential solution under the next-generation small-class UUV (SUUV) programme.

The SUUV is a part of the broader UUV Family of Systems (FOS) programme of record.

The REMUS 300 is a two-man portable vehicle with a 190 mm diameter, an overall length of 1,850–2,510 mm, and a dry weight of about 36–58 kg depending on its configuration. It maintains a comparable diameter with the smaller REMUS 100 but offers an increased depth rating of 305 m.

The UUV features field-changeable, environmentally sealed energy modules that enable operators to customise its endurance for up to 10, 20 or 30 hours depending on the mission requirements. It typically travels at speeds of 3–4 kt, but this can be increased to 8 kt by using high-speed thrusters, while a modular and open architecture facilitates the integration of new payloads, sensors, and algorithms.

The REMUS 300 UUV was commercially released by HII last month for applications that include mine countermeasures, hydrographic survey, rapid environmental assessment, search and recovery, and marine research.