Unmanned and underwater

Saft has been awarded a contract by GESMA (Groupe d’Etudes Sous Marines de l’Atlantique) to develop a rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery system that will significantly boost the performance and payload capacity of the Redermor experimental UUV (Unmanned Underwater Vehicle).

The new Li-ion battery system will provide Redermor with up to five hours of autonomous power for its electric thrusters and onboard electronics. Housed in a compact, maintenance-free module, the new battery system is just half the size of the batteries fitted to previous Redermors.

GESMA developed the Redermor UUV in the 1990s as an experimental platform used for evaluation of data acquisition and acoustic communications technologies for detecting and identifying underwater mines. Redermor is now operated as a fully autonomous free-swimming vehicle, it is six metres long, about one metre diameter and weighs between 2.7 to 3.2 tonnes, according to the specific version. Eight electric thrusters allow Redermor to travel at speeds of up to 10 knots at depths down to 200m. It is also designed to carry large payloads (about one tonne and one cubic metre) such as high resolution sonar and large range of sensors.