Bluebottle (uncrewed surface vessels)

Ocius Bluebottle fleet in blue livery
Class overview
Builders	OCIUS Technology
Operators	Royal Australian Navy Australian Border Force
Built	mid‑2010s–present
In commission	2022–present
Planned	55
On order	40
Completed	15
General characteristics
Type	Autonomous underwater vehicle
Length	7.4m
Notes	Information on the design specifics has not been publicly released. [1]

The Bluebottle is a long-range, extra-large Unmanned surface vehicle being jointly developed by OCIUS Technology and the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). 15 have been developed and used by the Royal Australian Navy from 2022-2026 with an additional 40 ordered in March 2026. ^[2]

Project history

Main article: OCIUS Technology

In March 2026, a $176 million contract was signed for an additional 40 Bluebottles for the Royal Australian Navy, which would being the total amount in service to 55. ^[3]

See also

• Future of the Royal Australian Navy

References

1. "technical specifications". OCIUS Technology. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
2. Kuper, Stephen (11 March 2026). "Australia set to field one of the world's largest fleets of maritime drones with $176m investment". Defence Connect. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
3. "Government awards Ocius Bluebottle USV fleet contract". Australian Defence Magazine. 11 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.