Defensie Materieel Organisatie recently signed a contract with Saab for the supply of Sea Wasp ROVs for the Koninklijke Marine, Gabriel Alberto Bazzolo reported in his blog.

This small and flexible underwater robot is suitable for a wide range of underwater operations.

Defensie Materieel Organisatie under the Ministerie van Defense (MoD) ensures that soldiers can work with modern, robust and safe equipment.

The organization of teams participates in the purchase, maintenance and sale of equipment.

With a base weight of only 75 kg, Sea Wasp is a small and flexible ROV which can be used for a wide range of underwater operations, both within the commercial and military sectors.

Sea Wasp can, for example, be used for sea mine detection and other reconnaissance operations.

Sea Wasp ROV is based on the Saab Seaeye range of commercial ROVs. His modular design allows the vessel to be configured to meet mission-specific needs. A complete system is made up of a vehicle, generator, pilot station, hand winch and a power supply unit.

The vehicle measures 1.7m-long, 0.5m-wide and 0.4m-high and weighs approximately 90kg.

ROV is attached with an ECA electrical five-function manipulator arm, which allows it to use a range of tools and methods to dispose of IEDs and explosives. This arm with an attached camera is capable of positioning a disruptor near the target for detonation. The disruptor is then fired from the surface to neutralise the target, once the ROV is back to the launch platform.

Designed with mobility in mind, the Sea Wasp is a two-man portable system that includes a vehicle, generator, pilot station hand winch and power supply unit.

His highly adaptable system can be deployed from the harbour side or from small surface craft and is transportable over land in a Light Support Vehicle or similar.

The traditional system carries a high-tech sensor suite that includes wideband sonar, LED lights and video cameras for effective operation and identification capabilities in areas with limited visibility; however additional sensors can be fitted due to its flexibility.

Sea Wasp’s onboard Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) and Internal Measurement Unit (IMU) deliver navigational capability, allowing it to record and transmit specific way points.

The vehicle itself incorporates Saab Seaeye’s unique iCON intelligent control system, and is modelled on Saab’s Double Eagle family of MCM vehicles, to give six degrees of freedom for ultimate manoeuvrability.