Underwater drones for NOAA to be built by HII
NewsAugust 18, 2023
MCLEAN, Virginia. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has ordered two REMUS 620 uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) from HII, the company announced in a statement.
These medium-class UUVs will be delivered in 2024 and will be constructed by HII’s Mission Technologies division in collaboration with W.S. Darley & Co. The REMUS 620, introduced last November, features a battery life lasting up to 110 hours and can travel a distance of 275 nautical miles, the company says. Its primary applications include mine countermeasures, hydrographic surveys, intelligence collection, surveillance, and electronic warfare, according to the company.
These UUVs will be customized with a synthetic aperture sonar module, supplemental energy modules, and other equipment. HII notes that the NOAA intends to use these vehicles for high-resolution mapping of the Gulf of Mexico, particularly focusing on the restoration of seafloor habitats adversely affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the statement reads.
