SEABER Unveils Its New Micro-AUV for MCM Missions

During the Undersea Defense Technology conference and exhibition SEABER, the specialist in miniaturized underwater drones, announced the release of its new range of micro-AUV* for shallow and very shallow water mine countermeasures operations.

To address the rising naval mine threat, navies require autonomous and robust equipment that is quickly and easily deployable in any condition. That’s why SEABER introduces a new range of micro-AUVs that deliver efficient and compact naval mine countermeasure solution.

To fulfil its mission of underwater mine detection and identification, SEABER presents a range of micro-AUVs equipped with standard payloads: Side Scan Sonar, Multibeam Echo Sounder and a fluxgate Magnetometer. The micro-AUVs are equipped with USBL underwater localization system, making it the most compact and user-friendly MCM AUV in its category. The main advantages of this new generation of micro-AUV are its high precision, high speed (up to 6 kn) and maneuverability, as well as its ultra-light weight of only 10 kg, which makes it easy to deploy and recover from shore or from a small boat.

“From the very beginning, many navies have been interested in our robust micro-AUVs. For military applications, we already developed the ASW range RECALL^® micro-AUV and today, we are proud to introduce the MCM configuration. Our innovation is the answer to navies’ needs for precise and easy-to-use stand-alone tools for their mine clearance operations in shallow and very shallow waters. Our philosophy is to make AUV technology affordable for any survey mission at sea. And once again, we have met this challenge. For less than 100 000 euros, our MCM micro-AUV is mission ready.” states Vidal Teixeira, SEABER’s CEO.

Image credit: SEABER

Notably, SEABER Micro-AUV with side scan sonar were successfully used in operational conditions during the NATO REP(MUS) exercise in late 2022.

At UDT, SEABER also showcased the RECALL micro-AUV for military anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training. RECALL is a micro-AUV designed by Seaber as a training target capable of realistically reproducing submarine noise and motion, incorporating different training modes such as passive, active and combined acoustics. RECALL is compatible with modern sonar and torpedo systems.

It offers all the same features the RECALL does, navigates at 12 knots and dives to a depth of 300 meters. Measuring only 90 cm long, 12 cm in diameter and weighing only 10 kg, RECALL has a low logistical footprint and can be easily deployed within 10 minutes by any operator from surface ships, submarines, or helicopters. This robust system is easy to use by non-experts in robotics, thanks to an intuitive and ergonomic human-machine interface design. Aptly named, this innovative micro-UAV is equipped with the SEACOMM (UHF) recovery module for rapid location and recovery at sea.