Virginia-based HII has disclosed its recent sale of three Remus 100 and five Remus 300 underwater unmanned vehicles to the British Royal Navy as additions to the service’s UUV fleet for subsea exploration, countermine and surveillance missions. Remus features advanced sensors and systems designed for wide-ranging tasks on maritime safety.
Prior to the two Remus models, the U.K. Ministry had purchased Remus 600s in the past 20 years. The initial two Remus 100s that the ministry bought in 2001 remain operational, showing the unmanned system’s resiliency and modernization capabilities, HII said.
Duane Fotheringham, president of HII Mission Technologies’ unmanned systems business group, conveyed the company’s pride in supporting the Royal Navy in maintaining safety and security at sea.
“The trust placed in our Remus vehicles by the United Kingdom and other allies is a testament to the quality and reliability of our technology,” the executive said.
HII has delivered over 600 UUVs to the naval forces of 30 countries, including the U.S. Navy and its counterparts in 14 NATO member countries. Other Remus users include the Royal New Zealand Navy and an unnamed international customer in the Indo-Pacific Region who bought a Remus 620 in March.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is also an HII customer, placing an order in August for two Remus 620 medium UUV.
The company’s Mission Technologies group is also collaborating with the U.S. Navy in the development of nine small UUVs for the service’s Lionfish System under a potential five-year, $347 million contract announced in October.