Mary-Louise Hoffman
Lockheed Martin has chosen SeaRobotics as an original equipment manufacturer to help produce Marlin Mk3 autonomous underwater vehicles for clients in the offshore services industry.
Marlin is designed to help offshore oil and gas and pipeline surveyors perform deepwater exploration and inspection activities, Lockheed said Monday.
Rich Holmberg, vice president of Lockheed’s mission and unmanned systems business, said the company embedded a plug-and-play architecture into its AUV platform.
The vehicle is designed to integrate with multibeam, sidescan and three-dimensional sensors, laser and sub-bottom profilers and synthetic aperture sonar and high-resolution video and image processing technologies.
Lockheed developed the Marlin to travel at a range of more than 62 miles and operate for up to 24 hours on its battery before it needs a recharge.
