Poland Acquires More Gavia AUVs from Teledyne Marine
Teledyne Marine has announced that the Ministry of Defence of Poland has procured, through Remontowa Shipbuilding, three additional Gavia autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for its next batch of Kormoran II class new MCMVs. The anticipated delivery of three systems will be added to the current Gavia AUV fleet, which has been successfully operated by the Polish Navy for naval mine countermeasures (NMCM) since 2015.
To complement the Gavia AUVs previously procured, the acquisition will include all required topside equipment, as well as AUV operation and maintenance training.
In 2014, Teledyne Gavia completed a competitive tender process for the delivery of the first MCM AUVs for the Polish Navy, winning the contract on the basis of best value with conformance to the required functional and technical requirements. Based on the Polish Navy’s experience, the Gavia AUV has been selected once again, as the Navy is expanding its fleet of MCMVs.
Equipped With the Latest Imaging and Navigation Sensors
The Gavia vehicles will mirror the AUVs previously delivered. The new AUVs will be equipped with the latest EdgeTech 2205 sidescan sonars and BlueView MB2250 microbathymetry module (Teledyne Reson), providing simultaneous dual frequency 600 /1600kHz sidescan sonar with gap-fill. Inertial navigation will be provided by the PHINS C5 (Exail, formerly known as iXblue) inertial navigation system (INS), aided by a 600kHz Pathfinder DVL (Teledyne Marine). Additionally, to enhance interoperability with other systems, the AUVs will be equipped with C-Node modems (Kongsberg Maritime) for USBL tracking from the Kormoran II class MCMVs.
With the imaging and navigation sensors listed above, the AUV will be able to gather high-resolution, accurately navigated sonar images while remaining submerged for several hours of continuous operation at survey speeds up to five knots. Each Gavia AUV will be delivered with several field-replaceable battery modules (Teledyne Energy Systems). The combination of sensors ensures that the Gavia AUV is very suitable for mine countermeasures, as well as search and salvage operations, in continental-shelf waters and beyond.
Pipeline Tracking and Critical Infrastructure Inspection
The future addition of a Reson T20 multibeam echosounder will provide expanded capability for pipeline tracking and inspection of critical infrastructure. Gavia AUVs in Poland continue to be supported locally through Enamor (based in Gdynia, Poland), Teledyne Gavia’s official representative in Poland. Enamor is a research and production company focused on new technology and active in many projects in Poland in the fields of navigation, communication, hydrography and automation.
Maciej Rek, CEO of Enamor, stated: “Over the years, Teledyne Gavia and Enamor have formed a strong relationship based on the success of the Gavia AUV in Poland, as well as the local support that has been provided by Enamor.”
Valentin Hanns, director of sales EMEA at Teledyne Marine, stated: “We are very excited to see the continued success of the Polish Navy with the use of the Gavia AUV. The Gavia AUV operational flexibility, the ease of through-life support and modular upgrade paths have really contributed to the suitability of this AUV for addressing a variety of critical defence challenges.”
Multibeam Bathymetry and Sub-bottom Profiling
The Gavia AUV has a low-logistics, fully modular design. The design facilitates rapid transport and maintenance, while it also increases operational availability and reliability. Each Gavia AUV can also be equipped with a variety of additional sensor modules at the time of initial purchase or at a later date. This versatility creates an asset that can be configured for MCM, search & salvage or hydrography missions, without needing to be dedicated to just one task. In the future, the AUVs delivered in Poland can be equipped with modules for multibeam bathymetry, sub-bottom profiling or even submarine emulator sonar training targets, without having to return any of the equipment to the manufacturer.
Expansion in Poland is a significant milestone for the Gavia AUV user community, as it demonstrates the confidence that the Armed Forces of Poland has in Gavia AUVs for MCM. Previous knowledge gained from operating the Gavia AUVs in Poland has helped develop the concept of use of AUVs in the Polish maritime theatre. Significant benefits have been demonstrated with the use of a low-logistics AUV asset that continues to carry out both MCM and hydrography missions.
