The Royal Navy has awarded a contract to a team comprising Swedish company Saab and UK firm QinetiQ to provide the AUV62-AT anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training system.
Under the contract, the Saab will supply its AUV62-AT autonomous underwater vehicle system. The system will enable the Navy’s ASW units to undergo training in multiple scenarios. Saab expects to deliver the ASW training system later this year.
Prior to bagging the order, Saab and QinetiQ participated in testing and evaluation with the Royal Navy.
Saab business area dynamics head Görgen Johansson said: “We welcome the Royal Navy as our latest customer of the AUV62-AT. Together with QinetiQ we have demonstrated and used the AUV62-AT in multiple training scenarios to show the customer the true capability that comes with our state-of-the-art ASW solution.”
The Swedish firm’s underwater vehicles portfolio includes lightweight torpedo, the Sabertooth ROV/AUV hybrid and the AUV62-AT ASW training system.
According to the company, the AUV62-AT is a low-cost alternative for ASW training as it removes the need to engage a submarine for training purposes.
The system is designed to support ASW operator training and onboard sonar and command systems check-ups. Equipped with built-in tools for training, planning and evaluation, the AUV62-AT can operate in several different modes.
The training system also has the ability to generate realistic submarine noises and echoes.
The payload module of the AUV62-AT system consists of a transducer tail, which features transmitting and receiving transducers to allow onboard analysis of the location of active sonars or attacking torpedoes.
Furthermore, the tail can deceive any torpedo homing system and provides training personnel with a ‘highly qualified’ tactical training target.
The AUV62-AT can attain a maximum speed of 12k and has a maximum operating depth of 300m.
