Image of the Sentinel, a patrol boat in the Royal Australia Navy. She was converted from the decommissioned HMAS Maitland to an autonomous patrol boat. Credit: Austal Australia.

After recent success in their Patrol Boat Autonomy (PBA) trial earlier this year, Austal Australia and Greenroom Robotics have signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) centred on collaboration in the watercraft sector.

The SPA will develop boat products, services and technologies that may reduce crewing, increase safety, and enable remote and autonomous operation of vessels designed and constructed by Austal Australia.

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These plans build on the successful PBA trial conducted in Western Australia throughout March and April 2024, wherein an Armidale-class patrol boat, HMAS Maitland, was renamed the Sentinel after it was converted to an autonomous boat. According to the contractor, she is the largest vessel in Australia to be operated remotely or autonomously.

At the time, the Sentinel was extensively modified to enable remote and autonomous operations, including modifications to navigation, communications, bilges, CCTV, and electrical systems. Sensors and computer units were also added by Greenroom Robotics to inform and host the Autonomous Control System, GAMA.

Austal Australia chief technology officer, Dr. Glenn Callow, remarked that the SPA demonstrated a commitment to developing industry-leading remote and autonomous technologies, aligned with AUKUS Pillar II objectives.

Often overlooked by the deterrent of nuclear-powered submarines – the first pillar of the trilateral pact between Australia, the UK and the US (AUKUS) – Pillar II is a unique initiative in its own right, encompassing emerging trends across all five domains.

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“This agreement enables Austal and Greenroom Robotics to continue working together, build upon the valuable lessons learned from PBAT and develop practical remote and autonomous solutions that may be applied to any watercraft designed or built by Austal,” commented Callow.

The Uncrewed Surface Vehicle’s (USV) market has outpaced the Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles (UUV) market significantly, with GlobalData metrics indicating that the UUV market is approximately 60% as large as the USV market in terms of investment and activity.

A current example of this dynamic can be observed in the Asia-Pacific region, where nations including Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the US are increasingly funding the development of USVs to counter the rapid growth of the Chinese naval fleet.

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