iscover
Ocius Technology has confirmed the signing of contract with Japanese marine robotics company Seisgadget Ltd to support the performance verification of its Bluebottle uncrewed surface vessels for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
It’s understood that the program will verify Bluebottles’ capacity to conduct persistent maritime and undersea surveillance across its extensive maritime domain by conducting in-water testing and acceptance activities in Australia.
Equipped with advanced sensors, the Bluebottle USVs will provide a proven long-endurance and cost-effective capability to enhance maritime domain awareness to detect and monitor activity below and above the ocean surface.
Robert Dane, chief executive officer of Ocius Technology, said the verification program in Japan represents another step forward in support of regional maritime security.
“Japan and Australia are major maritime nations with extensive maritime domains, a strong reliance on secure sea lanes and a shared interest in maintaining a peaceful, stable and secure Indo-Pacific.
“This verification program demonstrates how our two countries can work together to deliver practical capability that strengthens maritime security.
“We are particularly proud that an Australian-designed and built technology will contribute to the security of one of Australia’s closest strategic partners.”
The vessels for the JMSDF verification program will be manufactured at Ocius Technology’s advanced maritime manufacturing facility in Sydney, Australia.
Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy officially opened the Ocius Technology advanced engineering, production and maintenance hub for Bluebottle USVs in Sydney, including a new 24/7 global operations centre supporting missions worldwide on 16 October.
At that facility opening, Australia also announced that it would provide Bluebottles from Ocius to the Fijian government to assist in intercepting illegal drug vessels in the region in 2027.
In addition, two diesel-hybrid variants of Bluebottle USV participated in the US Navy-led Maritime Big Play Pacific exercise, which ran throughout October off the Southern California coast.
In March this year, the Australian government announced a $176 million investment to deliver a further 40 Australian-designed and built Bluebottles, significantly increasing the region’s long-range maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capacity.
The Bluebottle Australian-designed USV is powered by solar, wind and wave energy, enabling long-endurance operations while maintaining an acoustically quiet environment for superior underwater surveillance. The Bluebottle’s patented design allows it to operate across the world’s vast maritime domains while carrying sophisticated payloads, providing continuous low-observable surface and subsurface ISR capability.
The contract between Ocius Technology and Seisgadget Ltd commenced in August 2026.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Defence Connect a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Defence Connect as a preferred news source.