The five Bluebottles had completed nearly 23,000NM tests, equivalent to around the world at the equator. The Bluebottle vessel has participated in Army’s Operation Resolute, conducting ISR on and around remote islands off north Western Australia for foreign fishing vessels and evidence of illegal activities.
The USV is a 6.8-metre vessel that can carry payloads of up
to 600kg. The USV collects solar, wind and wave power. It can autonomously
monitor designated areas and stay at sea for months. The Bluebottle won the
Defence SME Innovation Grant as part of the Pacific 2017 International Maritime
Exposition Innovation Awards.
