NiKA is an autonomous maritime surveillance platform from MetOcean Telematics that profiles the water column while capturing underwater sound through a custom hydrophone assembly. Operating to 1,000m, the platform records acoustic information across selectable depths, then returns to the surface to transmit collected measurements and its current position through Iridium Certus® 100. This approach supports extended marine noise monitoring, subsurface asset detection, harbor protection, underwater profiling, and acoustic surveillance without relying solely on fixed, towed, or conventional sonobuoy systems.
Designed for configurable missions lasting beyond one year, NiKA combines hydraulic buoyancy control with acoustic, temperature, and pressure sensing in a hard-anodized aluminum hull. Its hydrophone samples at 6 kHz across a 10 Hz–2.4 kHz frequency range, with a stated detection radius of 9.26km (5 NM). Satellite communications provide data rates up to 88 Kbps through an Iridium® 9770 midband transceiver, while AES-256 encryption supports protected operations. For naval missions, NiKA can provide real-time acoustic detection and satellite-based localization of submarines, including long-term anti-submarine warfare surveillance.
| Maximum depth: | 1,000m (3,281ft) |
| Operational life: | Configurable according to acoustic windows and mission depth; capable of operation for more than one year |
| Dimensions and mass: | 1,692mm (66.6 in) with antenna; 1,240mm (48.8 in) without antenna; 25kg (55 lb) |
| Satellite connectivity: | Iridium Certus® 100 via Iridium® 9770 midband transceiver; up to 88 Kbps |
| Hydrophone: | Custom element; 6 kHz sampling rate; 10 Hz–2.4 kHz frequency band; 9.26 km (5 NM) detection radius |
| Temperature sensor: | ±0.002 °C accuracy from -5 °C to 35 °C; 0.00005 °C resolution |
| Pressure sensor: | 2,000m depth rating; ±1m accuracy; 20mm resolution |
| Security and lifecycle: | AES-256 encryption; 24-month shelf life; automatic end-of-life scuttling |
