CETUS: The Royal Navy's first ultra-large underwater autonomous vehicle launched in Plymouth

 

CETUS

This week, the port of Plymouth hosted an important event in the history of autonomous technology development for the British Navy - the launching of CETUS, the Royal Navy's first ultra—large Underwater Autonomous Vehicle (XLUAV) technology demonstrator. This project represents a significant step forward in the field of marine automation and opens up new horizons for the use of autonomous systems in the defense sector.

The competition for the development of the XLUAV with a length of 8-12 meters was announced in early 2022, and MSubs from Plymouth received a contract worth 21.5 million pounds for the production of CETUS in November of the same year. It was originally planned that the sea trials would begin in November 2024, but the project is several months behind schedule. Despite the delays, the launching of CETUS remains an important stage in the implementation of the program.

CETUS is being designed and built from scratch under the auspices of the Department of autonomous technologies of the Agency for the Delivery of Submarines (Submarine Delivery Agency's Autonomy Unit, SDA-AU). This is the first XLUAV owned and operated by the Royal Navy, and its creation will mark a new era in the development of autonomous underwater systems.

CETUS is a large-scale autonomous vehicle designed to perform a wide range of tasks, including collecting environmental data, monitoring the seabed, searching for mines and exploring deep-sea objects. Due to its size and autonomy, it can operate at long time intervals and over long distances without the need for constant monitoring by operators.

Main Features of CETUS:

- Length: 8-12 meters.

- Autonomy: the ability to swim for a long time without human intervention.

- Mission flexibility: the ability to equip various sensors and tools to perform various tasks.

- Collaboration with other systems: potential integration with existing Royal Navy platforms.

The CETUS project is part of the Royal Navy's broader strategy to integrate autonomous technology into its operations. The use of such systems will improve the efficiency of the underwater forces, reduce the risk to human life and expand the ability to collect information in hard-to-reach areas of the oceans.

After the completion of the tests, scheduled until 2027, CETUS will be used to conduct experiments and test new technologies. This will help determine the future development directions of autonomous underwater systems and their role in modern naval operations.

Although the CETUS project has become an important achievement in the field of autonomous technologies, it also faces a number of technical and organizational challenges. The delay in conducting sea trials highlights the difficulty of developing and implementing innovative systems. However, these difficulties are an inevitable part of the process of creating advanced technologies.

In the long term, the successful implementation of the CETUS project could lead to the creation of a series of autonomous underwater vehicles for the Royal Navy. This will strengthen the UK's position as a leader in marine automation and provide a competitive advantage in the face of growing geopolitical uncertainty.