BAE, Cellula Robotics partner on underwater drone, with test next year

LONDON — BAE Systems is partnering with Canadian company Cellula Robotics to showcase its extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle in the U.K. next year, the British firm announced Tuesday.

As the undersea battlespace matures, some companies are looking to speed up the development of uncrewed platforms that can work in tandem with crewed vessels to cover larger surface areas, or serve as smaller alternatives to submarines to carry out covert operations.

Among these is BAE Systems’ maritime services division, which last year launched its Herne extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle after noticing a market availability gap in this platform size.

The Herne was designed so users could launch and recover it in several ways, including from harbors, ships or submarines. It can perform anti-submarine warfare; electronic warfare; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, according to BAE Systems’ website.

“Today, [about] 40 countries have in their naval forces submarines, and several others are looking to expand their activities and/or their fleet,” Scott Jamieson, managing director at the maritime services division, told reporters during a panel at the DSEI exhibition in London on Sept. 12.

As the average global temperature continues to rise , the melting of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean has opened up opportunities for countries to assert their military and commercial control. In light of this, the company announced it would cooperate with Cellula Robotics to launch a Herne demonstrator in British waters in September 2024.

“Recent acts of sub-sea aggression highlight the strategic importance of the underwater domain, the need to protect the critical national infrastructure within it and the inherent challenges,” BAE’s site said. “The demonstrator project, will test the ‘brains’ of the BAE Systems military XLAUV on one of Cellula Robotics’ underwater vehicles in trials set to take place next year at a facility on the south coast of England.”

When asked by Defense News whether he is hopeful the U.K. would be an eventual launch customer for the system, Jamieson said the business would be “delighted.”

In terms of where the Herne could be built, BAE Systems officials said they are open to localizing part of the production and would have the capability to manufacture it in the U.K. if it’s requested.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

伦敦——英国航空航天系统公司（BAE Systems）周二宣布，该公司将与加拿大公司 Cellula Robotics 合作，明年在英国展示其超大型自主水下航行器。

随着水下作战领域的日趋成熟，一些公司正在寻求加快开发无人平台，这些平台可以与有人驾驶舰艇协同作战，覆盖更大的水面，或者作为潜艇的小型替代品来执行秘密行动。

其中包括 BAE Systems 的海事服务部门，该部门去年推出了 Herne 超大型自主水下航行器，此前他们注意到该尺寸平台的市场供应存在缺口。

据英国航空航天系统公司（BAE Systems）网站介绍，赫恩导弹的设计允许用户以多种方式发射和回收，包括从港口、舰船或潜艇发射。它可以执行反潜作战、电子战以及情报、监视和侦察任务。

“如今，大约有 40 个国家的海军拥有潜艇，还有几个国家正在寻求扩大其潜艇活动和/或舰队规模，”海事服务部门总经理斯科特·杰米森在 9 月 12 日于伦敦举行的 DSEI 展览会的一个小组讨论会上告诉记者。

随着全球平均气温持续上升，覆盖北冰洋的海冰融化为各国加强军事和商业控制提供了机会。鉴于此，该公司宣布将与 Cellula Robotics 合作，于 2024 年 9 月在英国水域投放 Herne 演示样机。

“近期发生的水下侵略事件凸显了水下领域的战略重要性，以及保护其中关键国家基础设施的必要性及其固有的挑战，”英国航空航天系统公司（BAE Systems）在其网站上表示。“该演示项目将测试BAE Systems军用XLAUV的‘大脑’，并将其安装在Cellula Robotics公司的水下航行器上。试验计划于明年在英格兰南部海岸的某个设施进行。”

当《防务新闻》问及他是否希望英国最终成为该系统的首批客户时，杰米森表示，该公司将“非常高兴”。

至于赫恩号的建造地点，BAE系统公司官员表示，他们愿意在当地进行部分生产，如果客户提出要求，他们有能力在英国进行生产。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。