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A UK-based uncrewed surface vessel (USV) from manufacturer ZeroUSV has achieved a series of world-firsts during the opening week of NATO’s REPMUS Dynamic Messenger 2025 exercise in Portugal.
ZeroUSV claims the Oceanus12 has become the first USV to autonomously launch and recover a thin-lined towed acoustic array without human involvement. Prior to this, arrays were either pre-deployed or required manual handling by crew during the launch and recovery process.
The vessel has also been deploying G-sized sonobuoys on a daily basis using ZeroUSV’s prototype SOIL (SOnor Integrated Launch) system, with the running total now in the teens. This marks a key milestone in the autonomous delivery of underwater sensors. The vessel, which was selected by the Royal Navy for this year’s exercise, logged more than 40 operational hours at sea with 100% uptime over the first week, reinforcing its reliability and demonstrating that it can deliver results at a lower cost than crewed vessels.
REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Uncrewed Systems) is NATO’s largest annual exercise for uncrewed naval systems. Hosted by the Portuguese Navy, the exercise brings together more than 20 allied nations, global defence companies, and innovators to test how uncrewed and crewed fleets can operate together in live missions. The exercise is a proving ground where emerging technologies are trialled at scale in real-world scenarios.
Matthew Ratsey, Founder and Managing Director at ZeroUSV, said, “Achieving the first fully autonomous launch and recovery of a towed array is a landmark moment, not just for ZeroUSV but for naval operations worldwide. Demonstrating that this can be done entirely uncrewed, safely and reliably, shows how far the technology has come. When combined with extended endurance, reduced fuel costs and seamless sensor deployment, Oceanus12 is proving what uncrewed systems can deliver now, today in real-world NATO missions.”
The Oceanus12 was upgraded for the REPMUS25 with advanced sonar, radar, and communications payloads. It is being used to demonstrate extended-duration, over-the-horizon autonomous operations as part of NATO’s live experimentation program. ZeroUSV’s vessels will remain in Portugal throughout September for further integration, live exercises, and a final showcase. The autonomy software for the 12-meter vessel was developed by Marine AI.
