Tesla Offshore selects Bluefin-21 AUV
Bluefin Robotics will supply a Bluefin-21 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to Tesla Offshore under a new purchase agreement announced on 27 March. The AUV will form an important part of Tesla Offshore’s expansion into deepwater oil and gas field development.
According to Bluefin Robotics, Tesla Offshore will operate the AUV in a number of locations, including the Gulf of Mexico where US government regulatory agents are considering proposals that mandate archaeological and shallow hazard survey data be acquired by AUV technologies.
As well as deepwater oil and gas field development, the company is positioning itself to pursue governmental, environmental and academic applications support.
The Bluefin-21 AUV is a modular system capable of carrying multiple sensors in a single payload section. Its efficient power solution enables extended operations at depths up to 4,500 meters. The system’s design includes swappable payload sections and battery modules for fast surface turnaround, as well as portability and flexibility to operate from various ships of opportunity worldwide.
The AUV's sensor suite includes a broadband multibeam echosounder, a chirp sub-bottom profiler, and a high definition digital camera, as well as a fully-integrated synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) produced by Raytheon Applied Signal Technology.
Randall P Bergeron, president and CEO, Tesla Offshore, said: ‘In the highly competitive and evolving field of AUV development, Bluefin Robotics certainly belongs at the top of a very short list of suppliers that could meet our subsea data acquisition and sensor integration criteria. With such a strong background in innovative solutions in the AUV market, and the flexibility to meet our operational goals and timeframes, Bluefin Robotics was able to put together an ideal vehicle that will allow Tesla Offshore to undertake our clients' most challenging deepwater survey operations anywhere in the world.’
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
First flights of Rattler Supersonic Target prove successful
The US Department of Defense (DoD), along with QinetiQ, successfully conducted the first flights of the Rattler Supersonic Target MkI marking a significant advance in supersonic target technology.
-
Dedrone supplies CUAS systems to Ukraine and increases signal library
Dedrone has announced a strategic expansion via 16 new governmental contracts as the US-based CUAS company continued to develop its drone countermeasure technologies.
-
Baykar’s Akıncı UCAV completes live firing trials over the Black Sea
The Turkish company’s advanced unmanned combat aerial vehicle demonstrated its capabilities during successful live firing trials.
-
Iranian UAV threat leaves Israel’s defence industry searching for answers
Iran has continued to invest heavily in its drone-building capacity, supplying Russia and Iranian proxies throughout the Middle East, leading defence experts in Israel to call for more defensive solutions be developed to deter the threat from UAVs.
-
Emgepron and Tidewise team up to develop first ‘made-in-Brazil’ USV
Brazil's Emgepron and Tidewise have partnered to construct the Suppressor unmanned surface vessel by 2025 amid potential interest from the Brazilian Navy.
-
Autonomous navigation drives UUVs proliferation in the Indo-Pacific
The US Department of Defence has teamed up with Anduril Industries to develop advanced AI-driven long-range uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs), countering China’s escalating UUV advancements.