OVERVIEW: The Remus 100 UUV is a lightweight, autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) operated by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). Entering service in 2007, it serves primarily as a reconnaissance and survey platform.

DETAILS: The Remus 100 series of AUVs were developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Hydroid, Inc. The design philosophy centers on providing a highly portable and versatile underwater vehicle capable of conducting a variety of missions in littoral and shallow water environments. The Remus 100 benefits from a modular design, allowing for relatively easy reconfiguration and customization with different sensor packages. Its small size and weight make it easily deployable from small boats, rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs), and even directly from shore, significantly enhancing its operational flexibility. This ease of deployment and recovery was a key factor in its adoption by several navies and research institutions worldwide. The New Zealand variant is specifically tailored to support RNZN operations in the challenging underwater terrain surrounding the archipelago.

The primary role of the Remus 100 within the RNZN is focused on hydrographic survey, mine countermeasures (MCM) support, and environmental monitoring. It is not designed for offensive operations such as Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) or Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW), but instead acts as a force multiplier by providing detailed underwater imagery and data to inform operational decision-making. Its capabilities extend to search and recovery operations, providing high-resolution sonar imagery to locate submerged objects and assess the underwater environment. Data collected by the Remus 100 contributes to a greater understanding of the underwater battlespace, allowing for more effective planning and execution of naval operations. The vehicle is particularly useful for pre-mission route surveys, identifying potential hazards to navigation and ensuring the safe passage of surface vessels and submarines.

The Remus 100's operational effectiveness is heavily reliant on its sensor suite, the most prominent being the Side Scan Acoustic Module (SSAM). The SSAM allows for the creation of detailed acoustic images of the seabed, revealing bottom topography, identifying objects on the seafloor, and detecting potential mine-like objects (MLOs). The high-resolution imagery provided by the SSAM is crucial for MCM operations, enabling the RNZN to identify and neutralize underwater threats. The Remus 100’s autonomy allows it to conduct prolonged underwater missions without direct human control, minimizing risk to personnel and maximizing efficiency in data collection. Its small signature also makes it difficult to detect, allowing it to operate discreetly in sensitive areas. Data is typically post-processed and analyzed upon recovery of the vehicle, providing valuable insights into the underwater environment.

SPECIFICATION: Length: 1.6 m || Beam: 0.7 m || Draft: 0.19 m || Disp: 0 t

SENSORS: SSAM

ARMAMENT: None