Cellula Robotics USA Inc. Selected to Deliver Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Prototype Under the CAMP Defense Innovation Unit Project
Press Release + Noah Note
Cellula Robotics USA Inc. is pleased to announce its role in delivering a long-endurance Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) under a contract awarded by the Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) as part of the Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP) initiative. This effort reinforces Cellula’s commitment to delivering trusted capability for national defence and highlights the strength of strategic partnerships that bridge commercial innovation with operational defence needs.
Under the contract led by Metron Inc., Cellula Robotics USA Inc. will be responsible for delivery of a commercial off-the-shelf, fuel cell-powered Guardian AUV®. The vehicle is designed for long endurance missions, with the ability to carry and deploy payloads at range.
“We are proud to be entrusted by DIU and to work shoulder to shoulder with Metron and our industry partners to deliver capability that matters,” said Neil Manning, CEO of Cellula Robotics. “This award underscores the trust placed in our technology, the strength of our growing U.S. team and our shared dedication to advancing maritime systems that provide operational advantage to the operational stakeholders.”
Strong Partnerships Delivering Capability
Cellula continues to expand its presence in the United States through the addition of engineers and technical specialists dedicated to systems integration, testing, and customer support. Delivery and execution of these capabilities are carried out through Cellula Robotics USA Inc., in collaboration with its partner, Schilling Robotics, LLC, a TechnipFMC company.
With more than 40 years of experience, Schilling Robotics has established a proven track record in the design and manufacture of subsea robotics, including remotely operated vehicles and advanced manipulator systems. Schilling Robotics is well-positioned to help Cellula serve this expanding market opportunity for Guardian AUV® systems.
Working alongside Metron Inc., Integer Technologies, and General Dynamics Applied Physical Sciences, the team brings best in class autonomy, predictive mission health management, and mission payload systems to deliver a robust, scalable solution.
Noah Note: A huge congrats to Cellula here. This is a famtastic win in their books, and I can think of few who deserve it more than them. The expansion in the United States has been relatively slow, however it has been slowly generating results for the company and Guardian.
Cellula and Metron have been working together for a few years now. They have a fairly good relationship it seems, and I am happy to see their partnership providing actual results.
At the forefront of their efforts is the Guardian AUV, formerly the Solus-XR. This XLUUV is engineered for extended missions and Arctic surveillance. With a length of 11.7 meters and a cross-section of about 1.66 meters, the platform supports either battery or hydrogen fuel-cell variants.
The fuel-cell version weighs approximately 8,000 kilograms, is rated for depths of 300, 1,000, or 3,000 meters, and delivers up to 38.5 days (925 hours) of endurance with a maximum range of 5,000 kilometers.
Payload and deployment flexibility play a key role in this. The Guardian offers modular payload bays (each about 1.2 × 1.2 × 1.7 meters) giving a total internal capacity of up to 5,000 litres for sensors, deployable effectors, or off-platform systems. It is designed to fit into a standard 40-foot ISO container for rapid ship or shore deployment, such as, say, on future icebreakers, destroyers, or corvettes.
It features station-keeping and hovering functionality, a retractable mast for communications, and redundant propulsion with a cruise speed of around 8 knots.
Cellula also maintains a healthy relationship with DRDC where Guardian has been utilized in an experimental role in the Arctic to test the concept of XLUUV operations in the North. They are also a prime competitor for the Uncrewed Underwater Surveillance System project.