BlueZone Group has been awarded an order for supply of three robotic “ZBoats” to The Australian Army. This order comes as a direct result of the company’s participation in Army Innovation Day (AID) 2016 where the lead theme was ‘manned and unmanned teaming for the soldier.’
AID 2016 was a part of the Army Innovation Investigation Program that helps to shape Army’s capability and its approach to the challenges of modern war-fighting.
BlueZone Group general manager (Defence) Andrew Hazell said that BlueZone Group’s exhibiting of the Teledyne OceanScience Z-Boat at AID 2016 had attracted a large amount of attention from the AID delegates.
“We found the Army Innovation Day experience to be a thoroughly refreshing way to approach innovation for the Australian Defence Force. The initiative was an ideal low-logistics way for SMEs to introduce innovative technologies to Army and to have detailed conversation with potential users
in an atmosphere of collaboration.”
According to Hazell, the Z-Boats' capabilities will make significant contributions to Army’s urgent and pressing need to de-risk the riverine environment and will provide users with comprehensive and accurate data to assist a broad range of operations – including humanitarian relief.
Three variants of Z-Boat will be provided:
- Hydrographic Survey. This capability will enable multibeam bathymetric and LiDAR survey of the coastal and riverine environment to enable safe passage and entry into the environment. The Z-Boat may be operated under remote control or in an autonomous waypoint-following mode.
- Flow and Current Monitoring. This capability will be implemented with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) payload to gather information on river flow to support Army bridging activities and general surveillance.
- Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR). A general ISR capability will be developed incorporating video and infrared cameras complemented by a laser survey capability. Real-time transmission of data to operator/shore will be supported. Concepts of operation may include as a Riverine Scout Boat.
Supporting manned-unmanned teaming (MuMT) for a combined army team in a joint environment, Hazell said the Riverine Scout Boat can be deployed into areas of uncertain hostility and confirm or deny the presence of hostile forces to de-risk the riverine environment.
For river measurement, the Z-Boat can be deployed in dangerous (e.g. flooding & fast-flowing) rivers or other rivers where hazards exist (e.g. crocodile attack or bio-hazards). The payload capability of the Z-Boat could be used for munitions re-supply to support enhanced precision lethality.
Hazell said there were applications for Navy such as for littoral survey and rapid environmental assessment projects such as Sea 1770 and Sea 2400.
“The capability for in-shore and coastal bathymetric survey using the autonomous waypoint following function of the Z-Boat is an innovative approach that may be of benefit for these projects.”
BlueZone Group supports a number of System Project Offices through its ongoing maintenance of the SAAB Double Eagle Mine Disposal System, the Liquid Robotics Wave Gliders, Seabotix ROVs and Hydroid REMUS Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.