MetOcean Telematic‘s NiKA underwater acoustic monitoring system participated in REPMUS 2026 as part of the UK team, working with RS Aqua to support Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) activities.
Held off the Troia Peninsula and Sesimbra in Portugal from August 31 to September 25, 2026, the exercise was led by the Portuguese Navy and provided an opportunity to evaluate emerging maritime technologies alongside allied navies and industry partners. According to NATO, the event involved more than 3,700 participants, 300 unmanned systems, 60 research and development companies, and representatives from 36 navies.
During the exercise, NiKA was deployed to collect underwater acoustic data, with the aim of evaluating its performance while operating alongside other autonomous systems and exercise targets. The system successfully completed 20 operational profiling and acoustic monitoring cycles, maintaining its designated operating window while conducting multi-hour underwater listening periods. It also recorded passive acoustic signatures from exercise targets and transmitted data via satellite.
NiKA was additionally integrated with RS Aqua’s Marlin system. Following underwater acoustic monitoring at depth, NiKA surfaced and transmitted audio of interest over Iridium Certus. The data was then automatically processed through Marlin Connect alongside information from other sensors, providing a more complete picture of the mission.
According to results reported by RS Aqua, Marlin recorded zero failures during the trial and achieved a new best near real-time detection time of 180 seconds, compared with a previous figure of 330 seconds.
Highlighting the value of testing in collaborative operational environments, MetOcean stated, “Exercises like REPMUS let us evaluate NiKA alongside other autonomous systems in a realistic operational setting, working with partners and allied navies in the same waters.”
