Sonardyne and MSubs have announced a strategic partnership to advance long-endurance autonomous underwater platform capabilities for the U.K. defense sector.

Under an MoU, the pair will integrate Sonardyne’s commercial off-the-shelf navigation, communication, and imaging payloads into MSubs’ extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV) to offer naval forces better underwater situational awareness.

Sonardyne technologies will include the SPRINT-Nav X hybrid inertial-Doppler navigation sensor, suitable for GNSS-denied environments. Also included will be AvTrak 6 long-range tracking, command and control instrument, and Vigilant forward-looking sonar.

The MSubs XLUUV is being used to help the Royal Navy (RN) understand future roles for uncrewed vessels in underwater surveillance, reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare missions.

The two companies said the announcement built on previous success working with the Ministry of Defence.

The duo is targeting emerging opportunities such as Project CETUS, the Royal Navy’s plan to acquire an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).