BAE Systems’ Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, known as Herne, has successfully completed its first underwater trials off the coast of Portsmouth.
Herne has been built to help autonomously monitor vast expanses of the seabed without the limitations of a human crew.
BAE Systems’ engineers have created a configurable design for Herne with the latest in battery, propulsion and autonomy technology to ensure the craft’s maximum mission endurance.
Following successful trials of the technology on a surface vessel earlier this year, BAE Systems’ engineers in Portsmouth have now completed sea trials.
These saw the craft conduct a pre-programmed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission, powered by Nautomate. This is BAE Systems’ platform agnostic high specification autonomous military control system.
The Herne technology demonstrator project was unveiled last year when BAE Systems announced it would be working with Canadian marine technology company Cellula Robotics to develop...