However, the 12-inch diameter vehicle is the company’s first medium UUV, and the first vehicle to be launched following BAE System’s acquisition of Riptide Autonomous Solutions last year.

“The Riptide UUV-12 system significantly extends the Riptide family of UUVs by taking us into the medium UUV market,” Jeff Smith, chief scientist at BAE Systems’ FAST Labs research and development organisation, said.

“With this medium-size platform, we are strategically aligning our modular, open architecture-based UUV platform to meet rapidly expanding applications and requirements.”

According to BAE, Riptide UUV-12 can be adapted to meet a variety of mission needs, including tasks involving larger payloads.  

The prime added that when integrated with the its mission system payloads, Riptide UUV-12 can deliver combinations of radio frequency (RF) signal collection, RF electronic warfare, active acoustics, acoustic identification friend or foe, acoustic and RF communications, mission autonomy, and navigation.

Riptide UUV-12 features include:

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• agnostic, modular system design enables easy modification and customisation for various development needs;

• high-efficiency electronics architecture coupled with a highly efficient, low-noise propulsion system; and

• native integration with sensors and technology.

“The Riptide family of UAVs is a combination of sophisticated yet simple, efficient, and highly flexible platforms that perform at great depth, at long range, with high endurance, and at significant speed to meet various commercial and military requirements,” BAE Systems commented.

[Related: BAE Systems completes US acquisition of UUV specialist ]

Charbel Kadib

News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media

Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.