US firm plans expanded AUV deployment in Taiwan

Vatn Systems' S12 AUV can support kinetic and sensor missions, including the carriage of ISR payloads for data collection. (Vatn Systems)

US-based Vatn Systems is aiming to deploy large numbers of autonomous undersea platforms to deter adversary maritime and amphibious operations.

In August, Vatn Systems signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) to explore joint naval defence projects for Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.

Vatn Systems co-founder and CEO Nelson Mills told Janes that the collaboration is intended to develop autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) technologies to strengthen Taiwan's undersea defence capabilities and support scalable deployment in the Taiwan Strait.

“The reason our systems are a great fit for Taiwan and its particular defence situation is because they offer the ability to build a lot of systems and really kind of flood the strait,” Mills said.

The AUVs' modular design enables them to serve multiple roles, including kinetic defence, acting as decoys to mislead adversary systems, and carrying sensors for intelligence gathering, he added.

Under the agreement, Vatn and NCSIST intend to establish a framework to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled command-and-control systems, field AUVs such as the firm's S12, and build supply-chain and sustainment support in Taiwan, the US company said in a statement.

According to Mills, the agreement builds on Vatn's existing portfolio of systems, with the aim of ensuring that they are export-ready and can be modified for use in Taiwan to meet its security and defence priorities.

Vatn Systems said the agreement reflects growing interest among allied defence ministries in modular, lower-cost autonomous undersea systems. These AUVs can be configured to meet mission-specific range, accuracy, and sensor requirements while avoiding the higher costs associated with legacy systems.