USA: Hydroid Inks USD 36.32 Million UUVs Contract

Hydroid Inc. has been awarded a USD 36.32 million contract for procurement of unmanned underwater vehicles (UVVs).

Unmanned underwater vehicles, sometimes known as underwater drones, are any vehicles that are able to operate underwater without a human occupant.

UUVs may be divided into two categories:

• Remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), which are controlled by a remote human operator
• Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), which operate independently of direct human input

The UUVs provide the military force with very shallow water and shallow water mine countermeasures as well as underwater object localization tools.

Hydroid will perform the work in Pocasset, Mass., which is expected to be completed by September 2018.

Hydroid is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime. They are a leading manufacturer of advanced, innovative Autonomous Underwater Vehicles – AUV for deep sea survey and mapping worldwide. Applications include both military and commercial use.

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Naval Today Staff, September 17, 2013; Image: Kongsberg