Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
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ARKEOCEAN has unveiled LELANTOS, a loitering Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) system aiming to forge the future of underwater surveillance and intelligence missions.
ARKEOCEAN is a developer of swarm systems geared toward defense, energy, and the environment.
The world and its waters are growing more turbulent, and marine technology must adapt to navigate impending safety challenges effectively. With the goal to monitor strategic underwater areas, ARKEOCEAN set out to create the first-of-its-kind micro-AUV system to patrol in up to 300 meters depth in discreet swarms.
The field-tested LELANTOS system represents formidable potential for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering operations. Its proof of concept was recently carried out in collaboration with the French Navy during sea trials this December in Toulon, France.
The micro underwater drones stealthily roam the ocean, recording the ambient underwater acoustic field, extract acoustic signatures of interest, and transmit them to a remote command center, before returning to their home vessel.
Mission Planning is completed using the command center before the swarm is released. Coordinates of designated areas adjacent to each other are assigned to each AUV so that the swarm can cover a vast perimeter. Other mission parameters such as depth, radio and acoustic communications are also defined at this time.
Mission Execution lies at the heart of ARKEOCEAN’s state-of-the-art LELANTOS intelligence system. Neutrally buoyant, they drift in the current without propulsion and briefly resurface when needed to check their position. They operate in a quiet environment allowing high quality recording of the ambient acoustic field.
The thrusters help to reposition the AUVs when they drift outside of their designated patrolling area because of the current. When the drones detect specific acoustic signatures on their underwater reconnaissance mission, they surface briefly to beam the alert and position to the remote command center.
Lasting endurance sets the system apart, as a swarm of these AUVs can stealthily stake out marine frontiers for days without declining battery panic.
Unrivalled Precision Homing ensures that the whole micro-AUV swarm effortlessly and autonomously returns to its vessel at the end of its mission to an easy-to-operate-recovery basket.
This acoustic AUV swarm technology is accessible and scalable. By pooling small, agile and affordable underwater drone capabilities, it is possible to generate a vast acoustic listening area, capturing mission-critical intelligence with the advantage of stealth and operational agility.
The LELANTOS system is now available as a turnkey solution that offers the most cutting-edge command, launch, listening, transmission, and recovery capabilities optimized for covert watch and loitering across remote waters worldwide.
