VideoRay, a developer of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), has announced that it has been awarded a second multimillion-dollar contract by the U.S. Navy to create and deploy a new underwater platform for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operations. An earlier contract was awarded by the United States Department of Defense’s Innovation Unit for a successful prototype.
The new platform is based on VideoRay’s Mission Specialist Series (MSS) Defender ROV, which is already in operation with various global military and commercial customers. The Defender features an excellent thrust-to-weight ratio and can lift over 20 pounds while flying level. It is compact enough to be deployed by just one operator and can be shipped as checked luggage on commercial airlines.
VideoRay’s Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Navy have helped develop and fine-tune new options and capabilities for specific underwater missions and objectives. Due to the system’s open architecture, the Defender can field a wide variety of payloads, and features multiple power and communications options. The integrated EOD Workspace software for control and navigation facilitates supervised autonomy and precise maneuvering.
