In the rapidly evolving landscape of maritime autonomy, Teledyne Marine and BMT are charting a bold new course. The two companies have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen their collaboration on future projects, leveraging their combined expertise to tackle the challenges and opportunities of autonomous maritime systems. This isn’t just a handshake agreement—it’s a strategic alignment that could reshape how naval operations integrate autonomy.
The partnership builds on a solid foundation of prior work, where BMT has provided specialist technical consultancy to Teledyne Marine, particularly in areas like through-life support and cybersecurity. Notably, BMT completed a Safety and Environmental Case Review (SECR) for the UK Ministry of Defence, ensuring the operational safety and environmental compliance of Teledyne’s platforms. This track record underscores the synergy between the two companies, setting the stage for more ambitious collaborations.
Teledyne Marine Vehicles, which includes Teledyne Gavia and Teledyne Webb Research, is a powerhouse in the Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) market. Their portfolio, including the Gavia, Osprey, and SeaRaptor classes, along with Slocum gliders and APEX floats, is already making waves with the UK Royal Navy and users worldwide. The Slocum G3 Glider, for instance, is a testament to Teledyne’s innovation—a long-range, modular, buoyancy-driven autonomous ocean glider capable of carrying multiple payloads. The Teledyne Gavia Osprey, with its enhanced capabilities and extended operational range and depth, further exemplifies this engineering prowess.
Will Alexander, BMT’s Maritime Autonomous Systems Lead, captured the essence of this collaboration: “BMT and Teledyne Marine bring extensive complementary expertise into this market, empowering us to think innovatively and overcome challenges as the strategic shift to integrate autonomous systems across naval operations continues at pace.” This partnership isn’t just about technology; it’s about leveraging deep domain expertise to support maritime autonomous systems across the entire asset lifecycle—from design and development to testing, assurance, and operation.
Arnar Steingrimsson, VP of Sales for Marine Vehicles at Teledyne Marine, echoed this sentiment: “We greatly value the close working relationship that Teledyne has had with BMT on successful UUV projects for the UK Ministry of Defence and other NATO members. Industry collaboration is the key to managing today’s rapidly evolving market dynamics and meeting increased demand from naval users.” This collaboration is poised to better serve joint NATO and international unmanned systems customers, addressing evolving threats and enhancing operational capabilities.
Paul Haycock, BMT’s Senior Account Manager for the Defence Industry, summed up the vision: “This collaboration reflects both companies’ shared commitment to addressing today’s challenges to shape a more innovative and resilient future. With a wealth of combined underwater domain experience, we are perfectly positioned to help our customers address evolving threats, enhance their operational capabilities and leverage maritime autonomy for reconfigurable, cost-efficient, scalable and adaptable fleet operations.”
In a sector where autonomy is becoming the new normal, this partnership between Teledyne Marine and BMT is a game-changer. It’s not just about keeping pace with technological advancements; it’s about setting the pace. As naval operations increasingly turn to autonomous systems, this collaboration ensures that the tools and strategies are not just cutting-edge but also safe, sustainable, and operationally sound. The future of maritime autonomy is here, and it’s being shaped by the combined ingenuity of Teledyne Marine and BMT.