RAN christens first Bluebottle USV

Ocius Technology has marked a milestone in the delivery of the Royal Australian Navy’s $176 million Bluebottle Program of Record with the ceremonial christening of the first Bluebottle uncrewed surface vessel (USV) hull to be delivered under the contract announced in March. Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy officially christened the hull at Van Munster Boats’ manufacturing facility in the NSW Hunter region, where the hulls for the Bluebottle fleet are being produced. This hull, which forms part of Bluebottle BB 716, is the first to be manufactured under the five-year Program of Record. The expanded fleet of Australian-designed and built Bluebottle USVs will enhance Defence’s capabilities by providing a fleet of USVs to detect and monitor undersea threats across Australia’s vast maritime domain. The Australian Government already owns 15 Registered Vessel Bluebottle USVs supporting the Australian Border Force to provide 24/7 persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations for surface threat detection. The production of the new fleet of Bluebottles in on track, supporting the growth of Australia’s sovereign autonomous maritime capability and highlighting the strength of Australian industry in delivering advanced defence technologies. The program is also creating new opportunities for Australian manufacturing, particularly in regional communities, building defence industrial capacity to meet the needs of the Royal Australian Navy and international customers. Bluebottle is a groundbreaking Australian-developed USV powered by solar, wind and wave energy, enabling long-endurance operations while maintaining an acoustically quiet environment for superior underwater surveillance. The platform’s patented renewable energy and winch-in-keel technologies provide a persistent, low-observable ISR capable of operating across Australia’s vast maritime approaches. Robert Dane, founder and CEO of Ocius Technology said: “We are proud to be christening the first Bluebottle hull to be delivered under the Navy’s $176 million Program of Record. Its success has been made possible through the strength of Australian industry and partnerships with companies like Van Munster Boats. From the very beginning, our vision was to build a world-class uncrewed maritime capability right here in Australia. The Bluebottle highlights the incredible innovation and expertise that exists across our local industry to meet current and future challenges. We have been working with Van Munster Boats for 10 years and look forward to continuing this important partnership as we scale production of the Bluebottle fleet.” Brett Van Munster, founder of Munster Boats, said: “The christening of this hull is an important milestone that reflects years of innovation and collaboration, demonstrating the strength of Australian industry working together to deliver advanced capability for the Royal Australian Navy. We are proud to integrate our highly specialised manufacturing capabilities and skilled craftsmanship, based in regional Australia, to contribute to a world-class platform. Our partnership with Ocius has driven significant growth across our business, including the expansion of our facilities, skilled workforce and manufacturing capability. This investment from the Australian Government will help support continued innovation and further scale our capacity in the Hunter Region.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Group Sales Director Simon Hadfield at [email protected]