Defence funding to empower Speartooth UUV development

Speartooth is anticipated to provide a modular, rapidly reconfigurable design with potential for high volume production, deployment, and manufacturing scalability.

“We’ve had the first generation Speartooth in the water since May 2022. That’s allowed us to rigorously test the vessel in real world conditions and demonstrate the long-range LUUV concept,” according to C2 Robotics chief technology officer Thomas Loveard.

“This latest funding will allow us to roll everything we’ve learned into Speartooth Gen 2.

“This progress would not have been possible without the close support and extremely collaborative engagement with our sponsors in Defence. Speartooth shows what can be achieved when Defence works closely with Australian industry.”

The second-generation Speartooth prototype will be a larger, modular design and incorporate many capability enhancements including longer range, Loveard said.

The vehicle will reportedly be capable of delivering militarily useful payloads for a range of Australian Defence Force users over operationally relevant distances. It has so far successfully conducted missions in open ocean and at significant depths, as well as more than 2,000 hours of “hardware in the loop” testing on a virtual twin.

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C2 Robotics will next manufacture a number of Speartooth systems and commence a six-week, in-water demonstration of its range and endurance.

“We are putting the concept of the small, the smart, and the many into practice,” C2 Robotics strategy director Dr Marcus Hellyer said.

“By keeping Speartooth small and simple, we can make much faster progress than is possible for large, complex systems.

“Our goal is to rapidly deliver affordable mass generated by 100 per cent Australian-owned sovereign industry capability.”

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.