Predator ROV Elite System Keeps Station During Live Fire Mission
Seatronics, UK, has successfully triggered a Percussion Actuated Non-electric (P.A.N.) disrupter subsea, with its Predator Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), whilst maintaining station keeping during a live fire mission. A demonstration of the unit was conducted in April 2015 in response to requirements outlined by the nation’s bomb squad community and the Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach Port Dive Operations Group (PDOG).
Manufactured and developed by Seatronics, the Predator ROV has been designed to function in all market sectors due to its compact and portable structure, ensuring easy deployment and operation.
Seatronics established the Predator ROV Elite System as a Bomb Squad Capable Improvised Explosive Device (IED) ROV specifically designed to perform demonstrations in conjunction with Great Eastern Group (GEG) for the US Maritime Bomb Squads.
Initial demonstrations resulted in an invitation for Seatronics to demonstrate the Predator ROV Elite System at the Underwater Post Blast Investigators Course in Bluffton, South Carolina, USA, hosted by the FBI Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Unit (C-IEDU), along with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s (SLED) Bomb Squad. Attending the course offered the opportunity to demonstrate the Predator ROV Elite System to a variety of Public Safety entities in a real world environment.
The Predator’s ability to hold station was made possible with the use of the SeeByte CoPilot software, which was developed in conjunction with Seatronics and refined to address the specific needs of the FBI and PDOG teams. The trials and Seatronics’ client comments enabled the Seatronics and GEG team to identify areas for ROV enhancement to capitalise on the functionality for counter IED missions, including lowering the overall system weight, improving mobility as well as successfully integrating the P.A.N. disruptor function onto the unit.
The Predator ROV Elite System’s cameras positively identified a suspected IED and the P.A.N. was fired from the ROV’s Operator’s Control Unit. The firing of the P.A.N. had little effect on the Predator's ability to maintain station keeping, making it easy for the operator to see the effect the P.A.N. round had on the target. The Predator ROV Elite System demonstrated to be a remote solution to the underwater IED problem.
