Contract for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Marport's SQX-1 AUV is a hydro-dynamically stable platform designed for reliable performance and low life-cycle cost. Employing a propulsion and control system based on thrust vectoring, the SQX-1 is passively stable in pitch and roll, and features high manoeuvrability with capabilities such as hovering and a zero-turning radius. The vehicle will be equipped with Marport's Software Defined Sonar platform - which will include advanced sensors, sounders and imaging sonar. The modular payload architecture can also be configured to include a wide variety of custom sensors to meet unique mission requirements.

Considerable investments by research institutes, manufacturers and the military are resulting in AUVs becoming increasingly accepted in some key roles where they have been shown to be more effective than previous technology. A recent analyst report identifies three significant growth markets for AUVS, namely oil & gas, research and military applications. The report covers the period from 2008-17 and identifies a "most likely" market scenario being valued at USD1.8 billion with the upside market potential valued at over USD3.5 billion.