Accelerate Defense Modernization through Strategic Sourcing
Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
MetOcean Telematics’ NiKA autonomous platform demonstrated passive acoustic monitoring in support of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) activities during the Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS) exercise in Portugal.
Led by the Portuguese Navy, the REPMUS exercise took place from August 31 to September 25, 2026, off the Troia Peninsula and Sesimbra. Regarded as the world’s largest maritime unmanned systems experimentation exercise, the event brought together more than 3,700 participants, 300 unmanned systems, 60 research and development companies, and representatives from 36 navies, according to NATO figures.
Operating as part of the UK team in cooperation with RS Aqua, NiKA was deployed to collect underwater acoustic data and evaluate system performance alongside other autonomous systems and exercise targets. Throughout the exercise, the platform completed 20 operational profiling and acoustic monitoring cycles, maintained its designated operating windows for multi-hour underwater listening, recorded passive acoustic signatures from exercise targets and transmitted data via satellite.
NiKA was also integrated with RS Aqua’s Marlin system. After conducting silent underwater listening at depth, the platform surfaced to relay audio of interest over Iridium Certus. The transmitted data was automatically processed within Marlin Connect alongside data from other sensors to provide 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, down from 330 seconds.
