Underwater drone for the German Navy: Intec and C2 Robotics cooperate on the Speartooth LUUV

An underwater drone is at the centre of a new partnership: Intec Industrie-Technik GmbH and C2 Robotics are pooling their expertise to strengthen the German Navy with state-of-the-art autonomous and unmanned systems.

At the core of the cooperation is the Speartooth LUUV (Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle), an underwater vehicle already proven and ready for use in the maritime environment. A recent Intec press release states that the vehicle “impresses with long range and endurance, flexible payload and sensor systems, and easy handling by small teams with short training times”.

What sets the underwater drone apart

C2 Robotics developed the Speartooth for long distances and long missions under water. The vehicle is just under eleven metres long and around one metre in diameter.
The company lists the following features:

• Design: modular and reconfigurable, with large payload segments.
• The payload segment holds up to one tonne – for logistics tasks, for example, so that supplies reach their destination under water without endangering people.
• Container transport: the Speartooth fits into standard shipping containers and can therefore be relocated relatively quickly.
• According to the manufacturer, autonomous operation for weeks is possible – without continuous operator input and without being tied to a mother ship.
• State-of-the-art sensors: together with Thales Australia, sonar sensors are being integrated to improve autonomy, reliability and safety in obstacle detection and navigation.
• Focus on scalability: the design is geared to high manufacturing capacity, cost-efficient production and a relatively favourable cost/performance ratio compared with previous systems.

This results in several new concepts of use, ranging from underwater reconnaissance and the role of a sensor or effector carrier to logistics support. The Speartooth thus becomes a candidate building block for maritime autonomy systems – in the context of technological sovereignty and modern naval capabilities.

Intec concludes in the press release: “This partnership combines engineering excellence and robotics know-how – for greater security, efficiency and technological sovereignty at sea.”