Thales Australia and Flinders University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to conduct a study into the development of an automation system for the launch and recovery process of the General Dynamics Mission Systems Bluefin 9 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), procured by the Royal Australian Navy under its Deployable Mine Counter Measures project.
Current launch and recovery processes for AUVs require human involvement in the deployment of the AUV from an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV); through either direct placement and retrieval from the water or activation from the platform. This collaboration will determine how best to increase the safety for navy personnel by removing ’the person from the mission’ through an end-to-end automation process....MORE
