Australia's USV Program Supporting Maritime Border Security

Australia faces one of the world's most daunting maritime surveillance challenges. With responsibility for approximately 10 percent of the world's ocean surface and 59,700 kilometers of coastline, the Australian Maritime Border Command (MBC) has long struggled with the fundamental problem of insufficient assets and manpower to effectively monitor such vast areas.

The solution has come in the form of unmanned surface vessels (USVs), which are proving to be a promising force multiplier in Australia's maritime security operations. At the forefront is the Bluebottle platform, which operates across key maritime security missions:

• Illegal Fishing Detection and Deterrence
• Border Security Operations
• Marine Protected Area Surveillance

The Royal Australian Navy has also acquired Bluebottle USVs. These naval variants are being tested with advanced payloads for anti-submarine warfare and underwater surveillance missions. Recent developments include the integration of passive acoustic surveillance systems, demonstrated during trials off San Diego. Here, a Bluebottle was used as the platform for ThayerMahan's Outpost acoustic surveillance system. This positions Australia's USVs as a key platform for fielding networks of distributed underwater surveillance systems, supporting the AUKUS partnership's requirement for advanced defense technologies.