Impressive range of 2 thousand meters. km: Australia successfully tested a large underwater drone Speartooth (photo)
Australia has successfully tested a large unmanned underwater vehicle, Speartooth, created for the country’s navy, during the Autonomous Warrior 2023 exercise.
Tom Lavard, CTO of C2 Robotics, told Australian Defense Magazine about the details.
Speartooth is an unmanned submarine 8 m long and 1 m thick that can operate at a depth of 2000 m and a distance of 2000 km using lithium-ion batteries. Thanks to the 2.7-meter-long payload bay in the middle of the platform between the nose and tail sections, the Australian military can accommodate almost any available system.
According to Tom Lavard, during the Autonomous Warrior 2023 trials, which lasted two weeks and ended on October 3, the second-generation Speartooth showed a number of good results for the Royal Australian Navy and “the minimum required potential” for further use.
“The results of the second-generation Speartooth tests have exceeded expectations in terms of range and autonomy. This means that Speartooth can reach operationally important areas far from our shores without being tied to a base ship, which opens up new operational concepts,” Naval News quoted C2 Robotics Chief Strategy Officer Marcus Gellier as saying.
Engineers and the military tested the new transportation and launch system. It allows for the transportation of up to two Speartooths in a 6-meter TEU container. If necessary, only two people can launch the vehicles from the shore into the water using a system of rails and trolleys.
According to Naval News, citing a press release from C2 Robotics, Speartooth’s very long range frees it from the traditional limitations of small unmanned systems. In addition, one operator can give commands to many devices.
In addition, C2 Robotics has recently developed a technology that allows the addition of a second payload section. This will make it possible to create an expanded version of the drone that can accommodate two different payloads, one large, one and an additional battery. The latter option will increase the drone’s range to several thousand kilometers.
“People usually look at it as a tactical asset, but the combination of scale, range and deployability makes it a much more strategic asset. Quite a few senior people I’ve met in the Navy agree with this view,” commented Tom Lavard.
He added that C2 Robotics is now almost ready to produce Speartooth. The company has already found partners who can assemble the devices on a large scale. Meanwhile, the engineers are preparing for the next stage of testing in water, continuing to experiment with the capabilities of the new equipment.
“If the Australian government decides to purchase Speartooth, I have no doubt that we can have it up and running within a few months,” assured Tom Lavard.
