The Polish Ministry of Defence (MoD) is strengthening its underwater survey capabilities by procuring the Teledyne Marine RESON SeaBat T20-S Module for the group’s Gavia Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).
These AUVs have been deployed by the Polish MoD for mine countermeasures (MCM) since 2014 and currently comprise a fleet of four GAVIA AUVs, each equipped with extensive capabilities.
The SeaBat T20-S Multibeam Echo Sounder (MBES), operating at 400kHz, delivers high-resolution bathymetric data with positional accuracy, aligning with the IHO standards for hydrographic survey. The T20-S Module empowers the automated detection of pipelines, enabling tracking and inspection by the AUV. This capability is expected to be instrumental in the Polish Navy’s critical underwater infrastructure inspections, a crucial aspect of modern seabed warfare.
In addition, the T20-S Module offers valuable backscatter data for mine classification. It comes with the latest Teledyne PDS Cube software to streamline operations, facilitating raw data visualization, post-processing, mosaicking, and export directly into the onboard Command-and-Control system of the Kormoran Class MCMVs.
Since Gavia AUVs have a modular design, these vehicles do not need to return to Teledyne Gavia for the T20 upgrades. Instead, the Polish MoD will receive new modules that can be user installed into their existing AUVs in Poland. The adaptability of Gavia AUVs has made them a trusted choice for EOD/MCM operations.
With the addition of the Teledyne RESON SeaBat T20-S MBES Module, the Gavia AUVs are expected to excel at gathering extremely high-resolution bathymetric data, even during extended submerged missions at survey speeds ranging from two to five knots. Their sensor suite, including imaging sensors like EdgeTech 2205 side scan sonars with Teledyne BlueView MB2250 Micro Bathymetry Gap Filling Modules, ensures these AUVs are perfectly suited for mine countermeasures (MCM), bathymetric survey, and search and rescue (SAR) operations in continental-shelf waters and beyond.
According to Teledyne, the expansion of Gavia AUV capabilities in Poland underscores the Polish MoD’s confidence in their performance for MCM and beyond. These AUVs are said to have demonstrated their value in EOD/MCM, SAR, critical underwater infrastructure inspections, and hydrographic survey missions.
