During Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2019, General Dynamics Mission Systems introduced its new Bluefin-12 autonomous UUV.

Building off of the Bluefin autonomy, the Bluefin-12 is capable of completing long endurance, high-consequence and changing missions for users by leveraging shared Bluefin Robotics' core capabilities, increased mission modularity and embedded intelligence.

“We are proud to add the Bluefin-12 to our UUV family of products and to deliver both the Bluefin-12 and Bluefin-9 UUVs to Thales in support of the Royal Australian Navy's SEA 1778 program,” says Andy Rogers, vice president of undersea systems at General Dynamics Mission Systems.

“The new Bluefin-12 provides superior design, high quality, excellent modularity and best-in-class reliability to deliver exceptional mission capability and range.”

According to General Dynamics, user-designated sensors and payloads can be integrated into the vehicle thanks to the base Bluefin-12's extended modularity, allowing the vehicle to deliver new mission-critical capabilities. 

Sensors and payloads needed to successfully complete new missions can be rapidly integrated into the vehicle thanks to Bluefin Robotics core autonomy with Standard Payload Interfaces (SPI), open-architecture compatibility and greater than 4,000 cubic centimeter-payload section.

Additionally, the UUV can be equipped with an optional turnkey survey package that delivers integrated survey capabilities including high-resolution sonar, environmental sensing, powerful on-board data processing and highly accurate navigation.