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Australian navy receives final Bluebottle USV

13th June 2023 - 01:09 GMT | by Gordon Arthur in Christchurch

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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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