HII’s Mission Technologies division has introduced the REMUS 620, a new medium-class unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) designed to support current and next-generation naval and special operations forces operations. Building on the design philosophy of the highly successful REMUS 300 — recently selected by the U.S. Navy as the program of record for the Lionfish Small UUV — the REMUS 620 has a battery life of up to 110 hours and a range of 275 nautical miles. The platform provides unmatched mission capabilities for mine countermeasures, hydrographic surveys, intelligence collection, surveillance and electronic warfare.
REMUS 620 is the same size and weight of the first and only full-rate production medium UUVs: the MK 18 Mod 2, Littoral Battleship Sensing-Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (LBS-AUV) and LBS-Razorback systems operated by the U.S. Navy’s Mine Countermeasure Squadrons, U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office and Submarine Forces, respectively.
The new UUV features a modular, open architecture design to facilitate seamless payload integration and HII’s Odyssey suite of advanced autonomy solutions for intelligent, robotic platforms. Multiple REMUS 620s operating collaboratively can be deployed from submarines, small manned or unmanned boats, amphibious ships, surface combatants and helicopters. REMUS 620 can also be used as a platform to launch and operate other unmanned vehicles or payloads from beneath the sea.
The increased REMUS battery life enables the UUV to execute a significantly longer route to and from a mission area than previously afforded by medium-class vehicles. The energy modules are swappable, allowing for quick turnaround and incorporation of alternative energy sources as they become available. REMUS 620’s standard synthetic aperture sonar payload can be replaced or enhanced for multi-mission capabilities, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and cyber and electronic warfare operations.
REMUS 620 builds on the success of HII’s previous REMUS platforms, with 30 years of innovation and delivery of more than 600 UUVs to 30 countries worldwide, including 14 NATO member countries. The scientific community will also benefit from the payload flexibility and variety of environmental sensors that can be easily added to the base vehicle.
Duane Fotheringham, president of Mission Technologies’ Unmanned Systems business group, commented: “Retaining a forward strategic advantage requires the ability to deliver a multitude of effects from under the sea. The REMUS 620 is the first medium UUV designed to accurately deliver this range of advanced above-and-below water effects at long range.”
