An Inside Look at The New Bluefin-9 UUV
Ocean News
The General Dynamics Mission Systems Bluefin-9 unmanned underwater vehicle provides unmatched high-resolution data, leading navigation, data processing and mission turnaround time in a two-man portable UUV.
Featuring a full carbon fiber body, a carefully selected and smartly integrated suite of sensors, latest generation communications and navigational components, and new onboard processing capabilities, the Bluefin-9 is the professional’s tool to KNOW WHAT’S BELOW.
Expeditionary & Simple Logistics for The Most Dynamic Missions
The Bluefin-9’s tightly integrated commercial off-the-shelf sensors deliver best-in-class imagery and collect bathymetric and environmental data, including data on water currents, temperature, salinity and turbidity. Designed for detailed hydrographic surveys, the Bluefin-9 is outfitted with Sonardyne Solstice Multi-Aperture Sonar (MAS) that provides high-resolution imagery even in littoral waters. Solstice delivers undistorted, high contrast imagery in shallow water, where other sensors fail, by using dynamic focusing while allowing for wide swath coverage. The Bluefin-9 is also equipped with Nortek Doppler Velocity Logs (DVLs) that collect information on water currents up to 30 meters.
Unmatched Data Quality
Bluefin-9’s integrated Sonardyne Solstice multi-aperture side scan sonar delivers a 200-meter swath range and ultra-high along-track resolution of 0.15°.
Precise & Reliable Navigation
The Bluefin-9 provides precise navigation (0.3% D.T. CEP 50) and accurate, geo-referenced data by incorporating a high-performance Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) and Inertial Navigation System (INS).
Expeditionary Operation
The Bluefin-9 allows swapping of the 1.9 kWh battery and 1TB Removable Data Storage Module (RDSM) in 30 minutes or less. The modular, free-flooded architecture eases in-field maintenance and minimizes operational down-time.
Data When You Need It
The Bluefin-9 features advanced on-board data processing that offers operators access to processed sonar and camera data that is ready for post-mission analysis.
