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Australian defence uncrewed surface vessel manufacturer Ocius Technology has marked a milestone in the delivery of the Royal Australian Navy’s $176 million Bluebottle Program of Record, with the ceremonial naming of the first Bluebottle uncrewed surface vessel (USV) hull to be delivered under the contract announced in March.
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy officially named the hull at Van Munster Boats’ manufacturing facility in the NSW Hunter region, where the hulls for the Bluebottle fleet are being produced.
The hull, which forms part of Bluebottle BB 716, is the first to be manufactured under the five-year program of record.
“We are proud to be christening the first Bluebottle hull to be delivered under the Navy’s $176 million program of record. Its success has been made possible through the strength of Australian industry and partnerships with companies like Van Munster Boats,” Ocius Technology founder and chief executive officer Robert Dane said.
“From the very beginning, our vision was to build a world-class uncrewed maritime capability right here in Australia. The Bluebottle highlights the incredible innovation and expertise that exists across our local industry to meet current and future challenges.
“We have been working with Van Munster Boats for 10 years and look forward to continuing this important partnership as we scale production of the Bluebottle fleet.”
The expanded fleet of Australian-designed and built Bluebottle USVs will enhance Defence’s capabilities by providing a fleet of USVs to detect and monitor undersea threats across Australia’s vast maritime domain.
“Australia leads the world in autonomous maritime vessels. This contract will deploy the largest fleet of autonomous maritime vessels in the world here in Australia, built by Australians and making Australia safer. We’ve moved at speed over the last couple of years to deliver this,” Minister Conroy said.
“Van Munster Boats is world-leading in advanced composites construction and through this $176 million contract to build 40 more Bluebottles, we will see more work in Lake Macquarie, more Aussie ingenuity and more know-how helping to defend this country and making the Australian people safer.”
The Australian government already owns 15 registered vessel Bluebottle USVs supporting the Australian Border Force to provide 24/7 persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations for surface threat detection.
The production of the new fleet of Bluebottles are on track, supporting the growth of Australia’s sovereign autonomous maritime capability and highlighting the strength of Australian industry in delivering advanced defence technologies.
The program is also creating new opportunities for Australian manufacturing, particularly in regional communities, building defence industrial capacity to meet the needs of the Royal Australian Navy and international customers.
Bluebottle is an Australian-developed USV powered by solar, wind and wave energy, enabling long-endurance operations while maintaining an acoustically quiet environment for superior underwater surveillance.
The platform’s patented renewable energy and winch-in-keel technologies provide a persistent, low-observable ISR capable of operating across Australia’s vast maritime approaches.
“The christening of this hull is an important milestone that reflects years of innovation and collaboration, demonstrating the strength of Australian industry working together to deliver advanced capability for the Royal Australian Navy. We are proud to integrate our highly specialised manufacturing capabilities and skilled craftsmanship, based in regional Australia, to contribute to a world-class platform,” said Brett Van Munster, founder of Van Munster Boats.
“Our partnership with Ocius has driven significant growth across our business, including the expansion of our facilities, skilled workforce and manufacturing capability.
“This investment from the Australian government will help support continued innovation and further scale our capacity in the Hunter Region.”
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