POCASSET, MA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hydroid, LLC, a leading manufacturer of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), announced today that it has entered the second phase of a contract signed in 2006 with the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). The order for an additional Hydroid REMUS 100 AUV system was awarded after six months of extensive trials with the first two deployed systems by the RNZN, one of the most modern naval forces in Southeast Asia.
The order for an additional REMUS 100, which expands the RNZN's fleet to three REMUS 100 vehicles in total, is part of a larger Mine Countermeasure (MCM) capability being delivered to the RNZN by New Zealand Ocean Technology, Ltd. The original REMUS 100 systems, delivered by Hydroid in 2006 and 2007, as well as the new vehicle, are configured with a sensor suite specifically designed to meet the RNZN's requirements for MCM activities.
"The REMUS 100 with dual frequency side scan is uniquely suited for New Zealand's environment where underwater cameras often have limited utility," said Commander Gordon Stamp of the Royal New Zealand Navy. "Hydroid's AUVs provide us with excellent acoustic images upon which we can quickly identify abnormalities that require further investigation."
"Hydroid is thrilled that the Royal New Zealand Navy has chosen to expand its fleet of REMUS AUVs to further support its MCM operations," stated Christopher von Alt, Hydroid's president and cofounder. "The RNZN's successful trials and exercises underscore the benefits this state of the art technology is bringing to naval operations around the globe."
Hydroid's REMUS AUVs can be fitted with a number of different types of sensors and cameras and have been used to aid in hydrographic surveys, harbor security operations, debris field mapping and scientific sampling and mapping. Hydroid's AUVs are currently being used by many navies around the world, including the U.S. Navy, British Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy and German Navy.
About Hydroid, LLC
Hydroid LLC holds the exclusive license from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the manufacture and further development of the REMUS Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) technology.