Australia has committed 176 million Australian dollars to expand its fleet of Bluebottle unmanned surface vessels. The investment includes the procurement of 40 additional vessels from Ocius Technology, increasing the operational fleet to 55 units. The Bluebottle drone boats are designed primarily for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions across maritime environments. Manufacturing will take place at Ocius’ facility in Sydney, with additional support provided by its production site in the Hunter region of New South Wales. The Bluebottle platform was developed through cooperation between Ocius and the Royal Australian Navy, with early funding from Australia’s Defence Innovation Hub. The navy first received Bluebottle vessels in 2023, and they were mainly used for surveillance missions and maritime border patrol operations in northern Australia. One of the platform’s distinctive features is its hybrid renewable propulsion system, which uses solar, wind, and wave energy. This allows the vessel to remain deployed for extended periods without refueling. According to officials, Bluebottle vessels can remain in a specific operating area for an average of 75 days, and the longest continuous mission lasted more than six months. The 6.8-meter-long vessels can carry various payloads and operate alongside other crewed and uncrewed maritime systems.
