AUKUS update: Australian sovereignty is “paramount” as Trump declares “full steam ahead”
AUKUS has been under the spotlight this week as US President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had their first face-to-face meeting.
Australian navy receives final Bluebottle USV
Four of the Royal Australian Navy’s new Bluebottle USVs are seen taking part in an exercise in Jervis Bay in May. (Photo: Ocius Technologies)
Australia's navy now has in its hands all five USVs that it ordered from a Sydney innovator and manufacturer.
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has received its final Bluebottle autonomous, persistent USV from Ocius Technology, the Department of Defence announced on 8 June.
The RAN purchased a quintet of 6.8m-long Bluebottles under a A$4.9 million ($3.3 million) contract inked on 24 November 2022. These were on top of nine hulls already produced by Sydney-based Ocius Technologies via a Defence Innovation Hub initiative.
Assistant Minister for Defence Matt Thistlethwaite commented: ‘Ocius Technologies and other innovative local businesses are the engine room of the Australian defence industry. They provide leading-edge capabilities to assist in contending with an increasingly complex strategic environment.’
The
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