Navy works to better its underwater systems

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution received a five-year, $50 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract to provide engineering, technical and operational services related to the Navy’s unmanned underwater vehicle research.

WHOI will with the department on developing and modernizing the Navy’s digital-acoustic communications (D-ACOMMS), Remote Environmental Monitoring Units (REMUS) autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), and other programs, such as advanced ocean technologies and launch and recovery capabilities.

The contract is a sole-source award, because WHOI is the sole designer and developer for D-ACOMMS and REMUS underwater unmanned vehicles. WHOI’s patented software and hardware are incorporated into these systems.

The Navy will design, test and evaluate new software and hardware to enhance its new underwater acoustic communications capabilities for improving government-owned REMUS systems.

The Navy awarded the sole-source award Aug. 27.