Australian shipbuilder Austal has partnered with Saildrone to produce the 20-meter Saildrone Surveyor in Australia, for use in the Indo-Pacific region.
Following their strategic partnership with Austal in the US from August 2022, Saildrone revealed plans to set up Saildrone Australia in 2023, with the aim of serving the commercial and government sectors in Australia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
“I am very excited to have Austal Australia as a partner and to explore the possibilities to put our vehicles to work for Australia and our partners in the wider Indo-pacific Region,” Richard Jenkins, the founder and CEO of Saildrone, commented.
With a fleet of 120 USVs, Saildrone has amassed nearly 1 million miles and 25,000 days at sea. The move is expected to further strengthen Saildrone’s presence in the region and provide a platform for the company’s continued growth in the years to come.
The Saildrone Surveyor USV, with a length of 20 meters, is specifically designed for deep ocean mapping and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) applications, both above and below the surface. The Surveyor operates autonomously and is uncrewed, making it highly reliable with exceptional endurance and cost-effective operations.
The USV is also in service with the US Navy in the Middle East region, as part of the service’s plan to expand US 5th Fleet’s integration of new unmanned systems
Austal is Australia’s largest defense exporter and global shipbuilder for defense and commercial vessels, with over 35 years of experience and a record of more than 356 vessels for 122 operators in 59 countries. They have shipyards and service centers worldwide and offer commercial vessel platforms and leading defense programs, including the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) for the US Navy.
