"Ministers MacKay, Ambrose Announce Support for Remote Operated Vehicles"

[The Bread Guy]

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, today announced the procurement of six Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV) for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). These small, remotely controlled, underwater robots will be provided by Aurora ROV Systems Ltd. of Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, at a cost of approximately $1.66 million.

( .... )

Using the ROVs, the Canadian Forces (CF) are able to see and operate to depths of 950 meters below the water line. Specific examples of uses include locating aircraft lost at sea, and retrieving the aircraft’s ‘black box.’ The ROVs are also able to retrieve objects jettisoned by smugglers, inspect suspicious objects (naval mines, mine-like objects or otherwise), deliver ordnance that can destroy naval mines, and survey the bottom hulls of ships.

Two of the same model of ROV were used in Operation Nunalivut 2012, a major sovereignty and security operation that occurred in Canada's high Arctic. The Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic) ROV pilots, as part of the exercise, used the two ROVs to explore and probe the bottom of the Northwest Passage, 805 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. The ROV units explored the shipwreck H.M.S. Breadalbane, a merchant ship that sank in 1853.

DND Info-machine, 7 Jun 12

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Good show. Heard good things about that one for both efficiency and ease of use.

Good candidate for the next generation of ROV on the MCDVs

 

[Colin Parkinson]

that would be this one?  http://seabotix.com/products/lbv300-6.htm


We were looking at this one http://www.seabotix.com/products/lbv200-4.htm

However we got a good deal on a trade in of our early videoray and got the newer version

http://www.videoray.com/products/42-p4-cd-300base

Still having line insulation issues with it, I think our tether is getting old. DFO just bought the lbv 200 after trying our videoray, the Seabotix has a bit more thrust making current work easier, as well as horizontail side thruster. The package is heavier and bigger than the videoray though. Portability was important to us as well as the ability to work off of small boats. The biggest drawback about the new videoray is it uses a laptop based control system that can't get wet, bit of an issue in a rubber boat.

Much fun running an ROV in 10' vis with no sonar to guide you. Even more fun when the tether tangles on some unseen logs or pilings.

 

[NavyShooter]

Nope, they're the vLBV 950 series.

I was on the first factory course run in HFX for them in January, down at the factory for acceptance trials in March, and we just ran the 2nd factory course in Halifax (based on the AX of an MCDV) last week.  (Watch the end-June edition of the Trident for the article.)

We're going to be operating it off the Defender size FP boats, while concurrently loaded for side-scan SONAR. 



Fun stuff. 

http://www.seabotix.com/products/vlbv950.htm

 

[NavyShooter]

Oh yeah, ours came with the Gemini Sonar....alas, not a 360" view, but 120 or so is pretty good.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

At 276666.00 a pop I hope so!! 

Had we had more money we would have had a competition for a full system. At least 3 companies including Seabotix and Videroray market systems for around $36,000

 

[NavyShooter]

FDU (A) and (P) already have the seabotix in service, so this is basically just a continuation of the series purchase.

Having a 2nd type of robot in the field would be, well, less than efficient for spares/training/etc.

The 950's will also be deployable from a Containerized Delivery System (deep dive capable)

NS