Three Small AUV Units Delivered to the Danish Navy

A first delivery of three small AUV units took place in January 2022 in the naval base of Frederikshavn, Denmark. This delivery is part of the recently signed framework agreement between OceanScan-MST, a Portuguese manufacturer of lightweight AUVs, and the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO).

These three Light AUVs (LAUVs) will be part of a larger fleet targeting mine hunting applications. The LAUV units were configured for this type of operations and include a dual-frequency high-resolution side-scan sonar from Klein, an Inertial Navigation System from iXblue, a Doppler Velocity Log from Nortek and multiple communication capabilities at surface and underwater. An upcoming delivery will also include an LAUV equipped with a Voyis imaging system that will be used for mine identification and bottom photogrammetry.

Gathering Side-scan Sonar Data

The LAUV is an autonomous surveying tool capable of covering large areas, down to 200m of depth and operating for more than 10 hours with high position accuracy. In the course of the sea trials, the three LAUV units were deployed in the open sea and were used to gather side-scan sonar data from the seabed. During the survey, a sonar target (pre-deployed) was found and the contact position was within 3 metres of uncertainty, after the LAUV was submerged for more than 2.5 hours and travelling more than 8km without any external navigation aids. During the survey, each LAUV periodically reported its status and mission progress to the supporting vessel.

To find out more about the LAUV and other surveying solutions provided by OceanScan-MST, see here.